MOEEN IS REALISING HOW GOOD HE IS AT LAST
Trawling through the list of Moeen Ali’s achievements in the opening Test of England’s Investec series against South Africa at Lord’s, the notion that such performances might need to be coaxed out of him through something akin to kidology seems faintly absurd.
Scoring 87 in the first innings stand of 177 with new skipper Joe Root that laid the platform for victory was a decent enough start.
Becoming the first bowler to take his 100th Test wicket and score his 2,000th Test run on the same day, the fifth fastest from any nation and the seventh Englishman to complete the double meant the hits just kept on coming.
And by the time the he left the field at the end of his side’s 211-run victory with ten wickets (4-59 and, on the final day of South Africa’s capitulation, his careerbest 6-53), the first England off-spinner to do so in a Lord’s Test for 66 years, there was absolutely no doubt who would be named man-of-the-match, even though Root’s 190 with a stinking cold and the responsibility of captaincy also upon him was one of the innings of his career.
Hardly the stuff to indicate the man behind those stats could be prone to issues like self-doubt, his worth as a cricketer or his place in the team.
Yet, from the perspective of Root, his coaching team and the rest of the England hierarchy, the most pleasing aspect of Moeen’s brilliant all-round display is that it suggests they might have finally won the psychological battle to persuade Moeen to believe he is as good as they think he is.
Coach Trevor Bayliss hinted as much after the match when discussing the likely make-up of the team for the second Test at Trent Bridge and the role they and Moeen have settled on to get the best from him with bat and ball, by allowing him to operate one step out of the spotlight, as a specialist second spinner and No.7 batsman.
“We’ll stick with one spinner (Liam Dawson) and one batter who bowls spin a little,” said Bayliss.
“That’s important for Moeen.He wants to be in the team as a batter that bowls a bit, so we’ve selected him as a batter and the second spinner.
“Moeen is a bit of a complex character at times. This Test match was a sign that this is probably the way to go.”
To appreciate why such an approach may be required when dealing with this “complex” character, it is necessary to understand just how, until relatively recently, Moeen has viewed himself as an international cricketer and his right to be playing at this level. At the start of last season, as he prepared for his third summer as an England player, he spelled out his views on the matter.
“I never take playing for England for granted,” he told The Cricket Paper, “never get complacent as regards selection.” So far, so standard. Then he gave voice to thoughts that indicated something else might be at play as well as natural humility and a desire to keep success and failure in perspective, and his honesty was quite disarming.
“The way everything went my way in that first summer (in 2014, runs on debut, then a century versus Sri Lanka and 19 wickets in the series against India), that can happen,” he said.
“But I never went overboard about it because I knew there would be a lot more tough days to come. This was international cricket. It was going to be hard for me.
“Even now, if I’ve made a contribution with bat or ball I don’t get too carried away. I know I’m not the best player.
“I don’t see myself as a player who is going to have amazing stats for England and that doesn’t worry me.
“If I try with everything I have and even if I’m not bowling or batting that well, I back myself that there are days when I can make a major contribution and potentially help win matches for England.”
Moeen has always promised so much; his sumptuous and free-flowing strokeplay is balm for the soul and his attacking spin, when he has the confidence to give the ball air and a rip, threatening enough to get out better batsmen than South Africa currently possess.
Until recently, the question has been how best to harness it on a consistent basis. Last week at Lord’s his performance indicated England have at last found the answer.
Even now, if I’ve made a contribution with bat or ball I don’t get carried away. I know I’m not the best player