Ali’s the greatest, says Eoin after England win
EOIN Morgan talked up the importance of Moeen Ali to his England side after the all-rounder played a key role in the 72-run victory over South Africa at Headingley.
Moeen was left out of the team for the two-match series against Ireland with Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes all playing in the Indian Premier League.
But he returned in place of the inform Jonny Bairstow for the Royal London Series opener and was named man of the match after hitting 77 off 51 balls and taking two for 50.
And Warwickshire’s Woakes finished things off to post four for 38.
“If he didn’t get any runs and had a bad day, I’d probably pick him again,” Morgan said at the presentation about Moeen. “I have that much confidence in the guy. He’s made some huge contributions for us over the last couple of years and beyond that. The fact he missed the Ireland games and comes back in and puts in a performance like this sums up him as a character. He’s had a fantastic day and huge credit to him.”
Morgan himself was the mainstay of England’s innings, his 107 off 93 deliveries laying the platform for the hosts’ imposing total of 339 for six.
Woakes then took over as South Africa were dismissed for 267 having hit only two sixes to England’s 12.
The tourists won the toss and had a compliant Jason Roy caught behind early. The partisan Yorkshire crowd were hardly dismayed by Joe Root’s early arrival but he was the junior partner in a 98-run partnership with Alex Hales, who peppered the boundary en route to 61 before wafting at Andile Phehlukwayo’s first ball.
Root was positioned to anchor the innings but, by the time he hurriedly flapped Phehlukwayo’s bouncer to mid-wicket, his 37-run contribution had become pedestrian.
At 122 for three in the 22nd over, England had plenty of work in front of them. Neither of their returning dan- ger men made much of an impression, Stokes (25) drilling Kagiso Rabada down David Miller’s throat and Buttler (seven) flicking Chris Morris obligingly to short fine-leg.
But it was a different matter when Morgan went after Phehlukwayo, off whom he struck four of his sixes.
Spinners Imran Tahir and JP Duminy had been a good bulwark but, after 46 balls without a boundary off their bowling, Morgan opened the floodgates with three in six deliveries.
The loss of Stokes and Buttler threatened to hobble England but Morgan and Moeen shared a heady stand of 117 to shift the momentum.
Morgan reached his ton with a maximum, hoisting Rabada behind square, putting him second on England’s list of one-day century-makers behind Marcus Trescothick (12).
And though he fell soon after, feeding Morris to cover, Moeen was on hand to keep the accelerator floored.
He flogged Tahir for three sixes in the 45th over and ended the innings in similar fashion with another.
If England were hoping to crank up the pressure with the new ball Amla quickly disabused them of the notion, laying into Mark Wood.
England did manage to prise out Quinton de Kock cheaply but Amla and Du Plessis soon settled into a groove that yielded 112. Even when Adil Rashid scored a moral success, foxing Amla with a googly, it disappeared for four off the inside edge.
Both batsmen passed 50 and things were looking ominous when Wood snuck one past Amla’s bat and rightly persuaded Morgan to call for DRS.
Du Plessis followed for 67 in the next over, feathering Liam Plunkett behind, whereafter the self-implosion began. Duminy and Miller both heaved short balls out to a lone fielder on the ropes, while Morris botched a reverse sweep off Moeen.
It is never wise to write off a chase while AB de Villiers is at the crease and he offered some cause for concern before Moeen persuaded him to hole out for 45.
Woakes burnished his figures by seeing off Wayne Parnell and Rabada, wrapping up a convincing win. EUROPEAN sprint champion Asha Philip believes people must not live in fear as she prepares to race in Manchester.
The 26-year-old, who won gold over 60m at the European Indoor Championships in March, is due to compete in the 100m at the Great CityGames, held on Deansgate in the city centre on tomorrow. Philip said: “It could be a tribute. It’s quite upsetting. To find out loads of kids got hurt is scary. I hope everything is going to be safe.
“What can you do? We can’t live our lives in fear. It’s always going to be in the back of my mind, but we know it can happen anywhere.”