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Moeen Ali: 'I find it tough batting at number seven for England'
If England are to win the Champions Trophy as their first global 50-over prize, they will have to overcome several critical moments, if not crises, and in the Headingley day/nighter against South Africa Moeen Ali added his name to the list of those players whom Eoin Morgan can depend on to respond..
Moeen has achieved a personal serenity which enables him to save his energy for when it is most needed - and a situation of 198 for five was approaching a crisis, a self-inflicted one. None of England’s top three had taken advantage of the belter of a pitch, while Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler still seemed rather disoriented so soon after returning from India, and England’s brief training camp in Spain.
“I find batting seven tough,” Moeen admitted after his glittering 77 not out off 51 balls.
“But I’m trying to be good at it and get better at it. On previous occasions when I’ve had the opportunity to play a lot more balls, I’ve given my wicket away a bit early. (But at Headingley) I told myself I was going to give myself a bit more time, give Morgy as much of the strike as I could. I get myself in and back myself that I can then play a few more shots as well.
“I find it tough (at number seven) because in county cricket and when I played first for England I opened the batting. I can beat the field in the first few overs and then later on I can play a few more shots. But when you’ve got four or five guys out straight away, it’s not easy for someone who probably can’t hit sixes like Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and hit the gas like those guys.
“I’ve done it in the past for England where I’ve hit sixes but today was nice to get a bit of confidence. When I’m in I feel I can hit decent-sized sixes. You only have to get it over the rope and that’s all I try to do really.”
But Moeen scored his five sixes, including the six off the last ball of the innings which has added psychological value, with batting as opposed to hitting. England have drafted in a consultant who specialises in power-hitting, Julien Wood a former Hampshire lefthander, but 50-over cricket is based on batting rather than hitting, which distinguishes it from T20. The harder Moeen, or Joe Root, tries to hit the ball, the shorter the distance it goes.
Asked if power-hitting, based on baseball, worked for him, Moeen replied: “No, not at all. I find if I work on it I lose my rhythm. I actually wasn’t batting that well in the nets and I had a chat with Paul Farbrace (England’s assistant coach). He helped with my batting and I felt in a good rhythm going into this match.
“Even towards the end of my innings there were a couple I tried to slog and I lost my shape. Then the last ball I tried to keep my shape as much as I could. It’s more an instinctive way of batting and Farby helped me a lot. He knows my game, knows what I need to do to get myself into a bit of rhythm. It’s more confidence building - but until you’ve gone out and scored the runs you don’t have that confidence.”
Moeen and the rest of the England players, after a day off, reconvene for nets at the Ageas Bowl on Friday with the aim of going 2-0 up against South Africa in the all-day international tomorrow.
