CHUMPS AT THE STUMPS
Moeen tells England to end the half measures
® from RODNEY WHITE in Brisbane
MOEEN ALI has warned England’s batsmen they need to start turning decent scores into big centuries to avoid another Ashes hammering.
All-rounder Moeen was controversially given out stumped after making a rapid 40 in England’s second innings.
And that started the rout which saw the tail blown away and the crowing Aussies dismiss England for 195 to be set a target of just 170.
David Warner then smashed 60 not out while Cameron Bancroft was unbeaten on 51 as Australia closed on 114-0, needing only 56 more runs overnight to complete a resounding win.
The stumping of Moeen, who was punishing the Aussie attack after a nervous start, was key after he was out by a millimetre despite the fact the crease line was painted much wider than normal.
Stark
After skipper Joe Root was out lbw for 51, Moeen and Jonny Bairstow (42) took England to 155-5 before the tail collapsed again.
Root has converted only 13 of his 46 half-centuries into hundreds – and just five of his last 25.
James Vince (83), Dawid Malan (56) and Mark Stoneman (53) all failed to turn their scores into three figures in the first innings, in stark contrast to Aussie skipper Steve Smith’s unbeaten 141.
England must rectify that if they are to avoid a third thrashing in four Ashes series Down Under, starting this Saturday when the day-night second Test starts in Adelaide.
Moeen said: “It was a good pitch to bat on and we haven’t got a hundred.
“Coming to the Gabba, to have any chance of us winning, or stopping them from winning, guys had to get hundreds. We’ll have to score hundreds in the next four games.
“We’re very disappointed. First three days we played well, today we let ourselves down, with the bat especially.
“A few players got in and never really got the big score that we needed.
“But the good thing is that the batters are hungry to score. You want to come here and score hundreds and we’ll be itching to do that.”
Moeen refused to complain about his stumping.
He added: “I felt I was alright but the replay looked tight.
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