Moeen Ali: England’s unsung hero in Tests

Of late, he has been batting at No. 8, a position where it’s difficult to convert your hard work into numbers. With more than half the side in the dressing room, batting with the tail requires a special talent. And Moeen has time and again proved his worth.

Every great batsman to ever play the game of cricket had a favourite position to bat at. While traditionalists bat up the order, the power-hitters come when the opposition bowlers are on the verge of exhaustion. However, every batting position has its own set of challenges. Ask Moeen Ali and he will write thesis on it. Of late, he has been batting at No. 8, a position where it is difficult to convert your hard work into numbers. With more than half the side in the dressing room, batting with the tail requires a special talent. And Moeen has time and again proved his worth. Full Cricket Scorecard, England  vs  Pakistan , 4th Test match

After Graeme Swann announced retirement, Moeen cut short England’s hunt for the next spinner. By then, he had already made a mark in County cricket, and was all set to rise to fame at the international level.

He started his career as a No. 6 batsman. The team was mindful of his batting skills. His incredibly elegant and graceful batting was talked about in the English media. And he did not take time to make headlines, as he stuck a fluent 48 in his debut match, following it up with his maiden Test ton against Sri Lanka at Leeds in the next match, carrying his bat.

Given England’s requirement, Moeen’s batting abilities were slowly eclipsed by his off-cutters. From a part-time bowler, he was labelled an off-spinner who can bat a little. Change in role led to a slight downfall, as Moeen could not contribute significantly with the bat. He was demoted to No. 8 and then No. 9 and then back to No. 8. Meanwhile, he scored in 30s and 40s, coupling with single-digit scores as well.

Be that as it may. Although he could not use his blade to good effect, he caught the opposition in spin often. Not that he took five-fors, he simply scalped crucial wickets, changing the course of the match. In fact, every time he is handed the ball, he does provide breakthroughs for captain Alastair Cook, without any doubts. Also read: Moeen Ali would not have picked himself in team after string of failures with bat

Being a top-order batsman in his County team, he always wanted to help England by scoring vital runs. He did not want to limit his services to only bowling.

Gradually, his batting order changed; he was dropped once in a while citing his role in the starting XI; but Moeen kept his calm and did whatever he was asked to.

He scored his second Test hundred two years later, against the same opposition, at the same batting position (No. 7) but at a different venue, Chester-le-Street. And, yet again, he carried his bat.

Nonetheless, every time England lose a match, the swords come out, debating Moeen’s place in the squad. Unquestionably, he has been blowing hot and cold, but his vital contributions rarely made the cricket pundits sit up and take notice. Not to blame anyone if the team has the likes of Cook, Joe Root, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, to name just four. After England lost to Pakistan in the series opener, there were talks of England replacing him with leg-spinner Adil Rashid.

Cook persisted with him, knowing Moeen’s value. He kept doing what he loves to: provide breakthrough and turn the table.

England’s famed batting line-up always hid Moeen somewhere. They bat so deep that it is difficult to shift focus from Cook and Root. Meanwhile, Moeen was still an off-spinner who could bat as well.

In the fourth and final Test against Pakistan, Moeen did the unthinkable (going by his reputation in the team). He scored his third hundred, second in the same season. Also read: Misbah’s statement over future puts spotlight back on PAK’s flaws

With five top-order English batsmen dismissed, the home team was stuttering at 110 for 5. Moeen, for some reason, was promoted back to No. 7 position. At his favourite batting position, he applied himself with precision and scored his third Test hundred, this time failing to carry his bat. However, he could still take England to 328 all-out. With Anderson and Broad in England’s ranks, it is safe to say that the total is enough to catch Pakistan in a maze.

England knows Moeen’s batting skills. He is an attacking player, and can turn the tide in no time. Though a leg-side-oriented player, he is a delight to watch when on fire. The best aspect of his batting is that he is one of the very few players who can flick the ball when aimed at ribs.

England are on the verge of becoming the No. 1 in Tests. However, for that to happen, they need to continue with Moeen batting at No. 7, giving him the platform to play more such sublime knocks.

(Kaustubh S. Mayekar, a reporter at CricketCountry, played cricket at U-16 level. Like his idol Rahul Dravid, he often shadow-practises cricket shots. His Twitter handle is @kaumedy_)

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