Moeen praises Buttler for putting faith in spin

Moeen Ali praised England's stand-in skipper Jos Buttler after he trusted his slow bowlers to spin it and win it in the second Twenty20 against Pakistan.

Defending a total of 200 all out, built around his own free-scoring 59, Buttler relied on his trio of tweakers to deliver more than half of the overs in baking conditions at Headingley after stepping in for the rested Eoin Morgan.

No England captain has ever used as much spin in T20 cricket as the 11 overs sent down by Adil Rashid, Matt Parkinson and Moeen.

Between them they took five wickets for 87, slowing down the tourists' chase and making important breakthroughs that paved the way for a 45-run win. "I don't think it was a game plan, it was just Jos playing the conditions," said Moeen, who dismissed Mohammad Hafeez and Fakhar Zaman.

"I don't think it was risky at all. It was great conditions to be a spinner. Having batted on it for a while himself he felt like facing spin was quite tough and it did spin. It thought our leg-spinners bowled fantastically well, Parky and Rash complimented each other brilliantly. They're both very different but both very skilful."

Moeen also enjoyed his most impactful recent performance in England colours, bowling more than a solitary over for the first time in 10 matches and hitting 36 from 16 balls at number four.

He has struggled to lock in a defined role in the past couple of years but, at 34 years old, is trying not to let his changing circumstances affect his ability to perform. He said: "The role I have is bits and pieces, but there will be times I'll be up the order. I do see myself as a bit of a utility player."