Moeen targets whitewash

Moeen Ali believes the challenge for england’s one-day record addicts over the next fortnight is to give Australia a taste of their own medicine. He acknowledged that the primary focus is to win the Gillette Series after taking the lead on Sunday when Jason Roy’s 180 helped england equal their highest run chase overseas. But Moeen believes the tourists should now adopt the same ruthlessness the Australians displayed in winning the Ashes 4-0. Ali said: ‘We are 1-0 up after one game and our challenge is to do what they did to us in the Test matches now.’ Aussie captain Steve Smith even closed his post-match press conference in Melbourne by suggesting his team could learn a lot from their opponents’ white-ball tactics. Moeen said: ‘The way Australia played throughout the whole five Test matches, they had pace we didn’t have, they had a spinner bowling brilliantly — we didn’t — they had batters who scored hundreds and double hundreds regularly. Again, we didn’t. They were too good for us, whereas in the one-day stuff we have players who can break records. it just feels like we can beat anybody anywhere.’ Mooen struggled in the Test series and said: ‘it has been difficult, a very tough tour. i feel i did not perform. i felt like i was letting the team down, the fans down. The Barmy Army was singing the whole time. But you have to realise bad performances don’t make you a bad player.’