Moeen bursts Windies bubble

All-rounder’s 84 puts England in a commanding position

Moeen Ali owed England, after dropping a sitter in West Indies’ first innings, and he repaid as handsomely as he cover-drove. Moeen’s 84 off only 93 balls enabled England to set a target of 322, which on a wearing pitch would be very challenging for a team used to winning, never mind losing.

Moeen took the bubble that is West Indian self-belief and, with the rapier he wields, burst it long before it could become a balloon. When he came in, England were only 143 runs ahead. When he lofted to long on, England were out of sight, like an escaped prisoner from Armley jail down the road.

It is not only kinder but fairer to put it this way round: that Moeen took the game away from West Indies rather than the tourists gave it away. Yes, Jason Holder made several decisions that his team analyst must have regretted at the time – and he will with hindsight – but it is next to impossible to captain a Test team and act as third seamer: that is why so few have attempted the job. Anyone who has to bowl pace for 33 overs, as Holder did, is bound to make tired decisions.

So, Moeen was more indebted to Dawid Malan than the West Indies captain for paving the way. Malan grafted for almost five hours, soaking up balls in a manner which the tourists must have found horribly reminiscent of their own Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Mark Stoneman was first to blunt the West Indian pace attack, his example followed by Malan, Joe Root and Ben Stokes, so that 103 overs had been bowled in England’s second innings before Moeen took guard with his rapier. If it was Moeen’s highest score at No8, he has taken apart finer attacks to almost equal effect. Earlier this month, he ran South Africa and their disciplined bowling unit ragged with an unbeaten 75 off 66 balls at Old Trafford, but his most valuable sallies at No8 were in the 2015 Ashes: 77 off 88 balls at Cardiff against an Australian attack that was fast, if not entirely accurate, while his 59 at Edgbaston was also match-shaping.

Moeen does not like batting so low down because it is rather like a painter of classical scenes – a Turner perhaps (not Glenn of New Zealand) – being commissioned to decorate the bedroom. The trouble is, Moeen does it so extremely well. He brightens up bedrooms and dressing rooms with his vivid colours – after the sandpapering and preparation by his top-order colleagues in a real team effort.

Malan, however, might not yet be booked into the Ashes starting XI, even if the job description for England’s No5 position is ‘Dogged batsman, right or left-hander. Must be prepared to buckle down without getting giddy while lowerorder partners swashbuckle’.

Gary Ballance is even more phlegmatic, and more adept at squirrelling away singles to rotate the strike, and a better leaver of the ball than Malan – a point proven during another fine spell by Holder from round the wicket when Malan fished at away-swingers.

Primarily, though, it was the threat of Shannon Gabriel that had to be blunted. Root was forced to put on something of a masterclass in defence, both on day three and yesterday after England had resumed on 171 for three, only two runs ahead. Gabriel got him with a short ball that angled in and cramped Root too much for an Master class: Moeen Ali on his way to an innings of 84 from only 93 balls uppercut. England were only 44 runs ahead, with their captain and the first hour gone.

But here, perhaps, was Holder’s first mistake. Gabriel and Kemar Roach bowled the first 11 overs on day four, so they had only 10 overs in which to recover before the second ball was due. The pressure came off Malan and Stokes as they had seven extra overs against the old ball in which they safely gathered 18 runs.

Although West Indies took the new ball immediately after lunch, after 87 overs, Gabriel and Roach still manifested traces of overexertion. Roach bowled too wide, Gabriel too full and without his previous pace. His five overs with the new ball cost 32; his next two were ransacked by Moeen and Chris Woakes to the tune of 28. Goodbye to the West Indies’ potential match-winner.

As for the West Indian spinners, Roston Chase used the rough too much, Devendra Bishoo too little. Chase eventually wearied of seeing his big-turning off-breaks ignored by England’s left-handers and straightened his line, bowling Malan off stump and benefiting from Jonny Bairstow’s decision to reverse-sweep.

But this line played into Moeen’s sensitive hands: he cover-drove Chase, as Stokes could not – he skied to long off, unaware of his strength – and Malan did not more than once.

Soon after Moeen and Woakes had added 117 off 143 balls, Root left West Indies with a target of 322 in six overs and a day. If that seems feasible, England – even with Moeen motoring, and the West Indians wavering – added only 319 on day four, and now the ball is not only turning but bouncing for Moeen, while James Anderson has his sights on the three wickets which will make him the first England bowler – and only the third pace bowler worldwide – to reach 500 Test wickets.