In praise of Moeen Ali

Moeen Ali was once a batter whose route to the Test team was to improve his bowling.

He was never quite an all rounder but nonetheless a key cog in the team.

Moved up and down the order from one to nine and filling his boots in the white ball game, he lost interest in Test cricket but thank gooodness has now been tempted back.

Now restored, he has in this Test scored 27, holding up one end as Joe Root scored 180 not out, and taken the two vital wickets of Rahane and Jadeja.

He extracted such turn on a slow wicket that India must rue the omission of their world class spinner Ravi Ashwin. I watched him bowl England out in the second innings at Mumbai a few years ago.

I do hope England do not mess Moeen about when Ben Stokes decides to return.

Apart from anything else he is so likeable as well as integral.

The match is intriguingly poised though much of the play yesterday’s play was attritional.

In my experience when any result is possible you normally end up with a draw.