<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1CTc2WMkqFT8hbwCS6LGzshQkfoos5kT5mdASZodWlOGDDJWYGSuW_5vYZ4vcAX-Ho_g4nv_o4pak4rUpYAWriwfehf9bderypeU0CPObUGv8_7O6IJM7aRTgSX6CPjz0tN2BDGY5QA/s595/moeens-numbers-post-the-2019.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="595" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1CTc2WMkqFT8hbwCS6LGzshQkfoos5kT5mdASZodWlOGDDJWYGSuW_5vYZ4vcAX-Ho_g4nv_o4pak4rUpYAWriwfehf9bderypeU0CPObUGv8_7O6IJM7aRTgSX6CPjz0tN2BDGY5QA/w521-h348/moeens-numbers-post-the-2019.webp" width="521" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-family: helvetica, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;">Moeen's numbers post the 2019 World Cup have been average. © Getty</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">In the run-up to last year's World Cup, England's consistency of selection was a key theme. After the 2015 tournament, they identified the players they needed for the style they wanted to play. The spin situation was buttoned down quickly. Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali played England's first ODI following the 2015 World Cup and were the first-choice spinners for the next four years. Ahead of next year's T20 World Cup, Rashid remains the number one slow bowler and perhaps their most important bowler all told. Moeen's recent form has made his own position less clear.</span></div><p></p><section class="cb-nws-dtl-itms" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px;"><p class="cb-nws-para" style="margin: 0px 0px 30px;">By his own admission, the all-rounder has not performed well for England of late, particularly with the ball. Despite being relatively economical, his ODI bowling average is 216 since the World Cup, albeit from a small sample size of just five matches. In T20Is, he has taken just two wickets from his nine matches in the same period, conceding 8.53 runs an over and bowling his full allotment on just one occasion. He has bowled just one over in six of his last seven matches and did not bowl in the other. At least there were signs towards the end of the summer that his batting has regained some of its sparkle. He made 61 off 33 balls against Pakistan in the third T20I.</p></section><section class="cb-nws-dtl-itms" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px;"><p class="cb-nws-para" style="margin: 0px 0px 30px;">Nevertheless, while Moeen has plenty of credit in the bank with Eoin Morgan - rightly so given his ability and track record in white-ball cricket - his recent meagre returns with the ball cannot go on indefinitely. At some point, Moeen's form needs to improve or England will need to try someone else.</p></section><section class="cb-nws-dtl-itms" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px;"><p class="cb-nws-para" style="margin: 0px 0px 30px;">That time has not yet arrived. England have not selected a third spinner for the ODI and T20I series against South Africa which is a show of faith in Moeen, He remains a central figure in the squad and was Morgan's vice-captain last summer against Ireland. But he admits himself that he needs to perform better. "It's frustrating for myself, mentally," Moeen said on Wednesday (November 18). "That hunger has not been there in the last year or so. There's been glimpses but I know deep down I haven't done well over a period of time.</p></section><section class="cb-nws-dtl-itms" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px;"><p class="cb-nws-para" style="margin: 0px 0px 30px;">"To still be part of the England team and the support I get from the coaches, Ashley Giles, and everybody, just shows how things I do still play a bit part in this side. It's my job now to go out and perform. I need to get into a good mental space, which I have been working on for the last four or five months. It's been difficult. But it's about clearing everything out and starting afresh."</p></section><section class="cb-nws-dtl-itms" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px;"><p class="cb-nws-para" style="margin: 0px 0px 30px;">Moeen's form will come into greater focus the closer England get to those two T20 World Cups over the next two years. The 2021 edition, to be held in India, will no doubt place a premium on spin bowling and England will need at least three in their squad. While the decision not to take an extra slow bowler to South Africa is perhaps understandable given the expected conditions, the downside is that England are not giving experience and game-time to other spin bowling candidates. Moeen and Rashid were the only two spinners used in the limited overs matches during the summer as well.</p></section><section class="cb-nws-dtl-itms" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px;"><p class="cb-nws-para" style="margin: 0px 0px 30px;">If Moeen's form fails to improve, England are risking going into the T20 World Cup with only one proven slow bowler at their disposal.</p></section><section class="cb-nws-dtl-itms" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px;"><p class="cb-nws-para" style="margin: 0px 0px 30px;">There are a number of other spin bowling candidates. Matt Parkinson, the leg-spinner from Lancashire, played during last winter but has not been selected since. Ed Smith referenced Liam Dawson, the most experienced in international terms of any of the candidates, and Joe Denly as spin options at the time the squad for South Africa was announced. Slow left-armer Danny Briggs is the leading wicket-taker in the history of the T20 Blast and could <a href="https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/114923/briggs-maiden-bbl-stint-a-reward-and-an-opportunity" style="color: #1866db; outline: none medium; text-decoration-line: none;">come into contention</a> while Hampshire leg-spinner Mason Crane played the white-ball part of last winter's Lions tour to Australia.</p></section><section class="cb-nws-dtl-itms" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px;"><p class="cb-nws-para" style="margin: 0px 0px 30px;">If any of these players are going to be used by England next year, however, it follows that they will need to start getting some appearances under their belts in order to gain the sort of clarity of role and depth of experience that Morgan places so much importance in.</p></section><section class="cb-nws-dtl-itms" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px;"><p class="cb-nws-para" style="margin: 0px 0px 30px;">For now, though, Moeen still retains the faith of England's selectors in limited overs cricket. He also wants to get his place back in the Test team as well after more than a year out of the reckoning. Series against Sri Lanka and India early next year might present him with an opportunity to return to the fold. "My priority is to try get my game to the level I know I can get it first of all," he said. "So I can be part of a lot of the cricket coming up.</p></section><section class="cb-nws-dtl-itms" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px;"><p class="cb-nws-para" style="margin: 0px 0px 30px;">"I know I haven't got that long left in international cricket, obviously depending on fitness and form, but I'll try my best to do as much as I can to get to the level now I want to get. I've had enough of a break from Test cricket.</p></section><section class="cb-nws-dtl-itms" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px;"><p class="cb-nws-para" style="margin: 0px 0px 30px;">"I can give my all in the next couple of years to try and be part of this. There's so much cricket and so much success to have. There's an opportunity there to be one of the greatest sides ever and be part of that. That's something I want to do. It's such an exciting time moving forward. For me, right now, to play as much cricket as I can and do the best I can.</p></section><section class="cb-nws-dtl-itms" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px;"><p class="cb-nws-para" style="margin: 0px 0px 30px;">"I have never had doubts, sometimes it's being more clear [sic]," he said. "I never go into a game or to bat with doubts. If anything, I go too far the other way. Sometimes I feel I'm in before I'm in and that's been my downfall.</p></section><section class="cb-nws-dtl-itms" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px;"><p class="cb-nws-para" style="margin: 0px 0px 30px;">"So it's being smarter, working harder and knowing I haven't got that long left. There's such an opportunity with the T20 World Cups, the Ashes, the 50-over World Cup, it's almost about having those targets and doing everything I can for those."<br /></p></section>

Moeen's numbers post the 2019 World Cup have been average. © Getty In the run-up to last year's World Cup, England's consistency... Read More »