Moeen’s panic attack the one cloud on tourists’ finest day

All-guns blazing tactic looked to be the product of a scrambled mind, writes Nick Hoult

It was the 2015 Ashes in reverse. Stuart Broad batted like Moeen Ali, stroking a vital and vibrant fifty to take his team to a potentially winning score. And Moeen batted like the Broad of 2015, shy of the bouncer and looking panicky at the crease. It is strange what the pressure of Ashes cricket can do to even the calmest of characters.

When the English summer ended and thoughts turned to the Ashes the three world-class all-rounders in England’s lower middle order – Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow and Moeen – were seen as one reason why the urn could be defended.

Since then two have fallen away for various reasons, leaving only Bairstow still standing as a viable threat to Australia. Even he played a poor shot at the MCG and will want more than his one, brilliant innings in Perth, to justify his reputation as one of the best wicketkeeper-batsmen in the world.

Stokes remains a frustrated spectator and his absence has had the greatest effect on Moeen. His batting has fallen to pieces and his bowling is in even worse state. He batted like a tail-ender at the MCG rather than a Test middle-order player in place of Stokes.

He attacked 50 per cent of the balls he faced, double his usual percentage in an innings and, to be honest, it felt like more than that. It was 20 minutes of frantic hitting that was ultimately futile. When Broad was taking the ball on it was good entertainment, and the crowd loved it, but he had first fought through the tricky early period to give himself the chance to play some shots later. This was Broad the all-rounder back in business.

Moeen’s innings felt different and strange for a man who is normally so serene. He flapped at short balls, and looked like a batsman who did not trust his defence against pace and spin.

Moeen was conked on the peak of his helmet second ball playing a half-hearted hook and, to Nathan Lyon’s first ball, he went down the pitch and skewed a drive that was almost caught by Pat Cummins back-pedalling at long on. It was the warning to take a minute and chat to Cook at the other end for words of reassurance. But he soon departed, slapping Lyon to extra cover. It was the sixth time the off-spinner has got him out in the series, and it was the widest ball he has bowled.

It was manic just at a time when England required some coolheaded support for Alastair Cook, and thankfully Chris Woakes and Broad rescued the situation. It looked as though Moeen had decided that attack would be his only policy as he played like a Twenty20 No 7.

Moeen’s place for Sydney will rest on the second innings here with bat and ball, as well as the result of the game. England will avoid defeat barring a horror second innings, so changing the team becomes less likely, and if there is more positivity around the group that should lift Moeen too. A turning pitch in Sydney would help as well. The only alternative is Mason Crane but Stokes’s absence always made it harder for him to break into the side as his batting would weaken the team.

On previous tours it has been a kindness to take a player out of the firing line but Moeen is mature enough to figure out the answer himself. In mitigation for his form, the side injury at the start of the tour disrupted his rhythm, the sore finger in Brisbane meant he could not impart enough revs on the ball in the first two Tests and there was no turn for him in Perth, and off-spinners have long struggled in Australia.

England’s dominance in Melbourne is brilliant for morale, particularly with a cricketer as popular in the dressing room as Cook leading the way. The renaissance of two old stagers means that major surgery on the team will not be needed at the end of this tour, as it was four years ago. It also proves there is real spirit in the side.

England just need Moeen to follow their lead, for there are no other spinners with his batting talent in county cricket.