‘My mum could play him’ - Boycott and Vaughan slam Moeen
Michael Vaughan believes Moeen Ali should be dropped by England following lacklustre displays with ball and bat as the inquest into their Ashes misery got under way.
Australia regained the urn after an innings-and-41-run victory over England in the third Test at Perth, moving into an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. England will now seek to avoid a third series whitewash in Australia in their past four trips, and 2005 Ashes winning captain Vaughan has called on the tourists to leave Moeen out of their plans for the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne.
The all-rounder has taken just three wickets – although he has been hampered by a finger injury – and has also flattered to deceive with the bat, with 116 runs at an average of 19.33.
He is below Australia’s No 9 Pat Cummins in the run charts, while he has been dismissed in five of his six innings by opposite number Nathan Lyon, who has been one of Australia’s pivotal performers.
“You’ve got to make the change,” said Vaughan. “If Moeen Ali’s going to be the batsman that just bowls a little bit then he’s got to bat a bit better than we’ve seen already. For me, Moeen Ali can’t play in Melbourne.”
Former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott bemoaned the gulf in class between Moeen and Lyon. “It’s not a contest. My mum could play Moeen,” said the pundit, who featured in 108 Tests between 1964 and 1982. “We play a batsman who can bowl a bit. He’s done quite well for us, Moeen Ali, but he’s not a quality spinner. He’s nothing like a quality spinner.”
Boycott added: “They need to get better players and they haven’t got better players in English cricket. English cricket has a paucity of quality.”