Moeen Ali should think of the possibilities his elevation up England’s batting order presents rather than the pressure that comes with the upgrade, according to five-time Ashes winner Ian Bell.
A shoulder injury to Ollie Pope initially led to Harry Brook batting at three in the third Ashes Test, but Moeen volunteered to assume the mantle in England’s successful chase of 251 at Headingley.
His contribution was just five off 15 balls, but it allowed Brook to settle back into his normal role in the middle order, where he underpinned England’s three-wicket victory with an assertive innings of 75.
The hosts have announced they will continue with Moeen at first drop, a scenario Bell is familiar with given he was catapulted from five to three in the middle of England’s triumphant 2015 Ashes series.
Bell suggested a freewheeling Moeen – who is just 23 away from 3,000 Test runs to go with 200 wickets, a twin landmark only 15 men have reached in Tests – should focus on the positives of his promotion.
The former England batter told the PA news agency: “I wouldn’t say it’s the perfect solution, but we’ve got selfless cricketers who are trying to do the best for the team.
“The temptation is to think of the pressure and that’s normal, but you look at it as an opportunity. It probably is a free hit. We know if Moeen gets in, he’s going to score at a rate.
“It will be a challenge, but it’s something that we know ability-wise Moeen has. It allows (Joe) Root to stay at four, Brook looks better at five and then (Ben) Stokes at six – those match-winners are still in those positions that can cause the most damage to Australia.”
Similarly to Moeen, Bell was up and down England’s order during a distinguished 118-Test career, although nine of his 22 centuries came at number five, a position which Brook now occupies.
Brook averaged an astonishing 81.8 coming into this summer and, even if that has since dipped, his knock last time out under pressure went a long way to cutting Australia’s lead to 2-1 with two to play.
The Yorkshireman is only 24 and less than a year into his international career, while Bell was only 23 and just a few months on from his England bow before being thrust into the cauldron of the 2005 Ashes.
Bell, who coached Brook when the pair were at Hobart Hurricanes in Australia’s Big Bash League 18 months ago, said: “You can’t teach that knowledge. You can get advice from people who have done it in the past, but until you’re out there and feel that for yourself, it’s very hard.
“Harry will be such a better cricketer and more understanding of Test cricket after this series. He’ll understand his game more than he ever has done at the end of an Ashes series and what he needs to do to be the best version of himself going forward.
“He’s an immense talent, but he does have a defence to go with the attacking options as well. At times, he should trust his defence as well because he’s technically very, very good. He’s a naturally attacking player and he’s going to be a fine, fine player for England.”
With England needing to win at Emirates Old Trafford and the Kia Oval to regain the urn, Bell, speaking in his role as a Betfair Ambassador, also backed Jonny Bairstow following a difficult series so far.
The Yorkshireman has struggled since retaining the gloves on his return from a badly-broken leg, missing a host of chances, with a lack of confidence behind the stumps seemingly seeping into his batting.
But Bell pointed to Bairstow’s track record of excelling when he feels under pressure, adding: “Jonny is someone when, if the game’s on the line or if there is a chase, we could see the best of him.
“We do need to see that and, if there’s two games to win which we have to be perfect to win this series, Jonny’s going to have to have a big hand in hopefully getting us to an Ashes victory.”
:: For more from Betfair Ambassador Ian Bell head to https://betting.betfair.com/cricket/
Cricket West Indies to reveal squad for ICC T20 World Cup Friday, May 3
Cricket West Indies (CWI) is gearing up to unveil its squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup during a highly anticipated live press conference in Barbados on Friday, May 3. The event will feature CWI's Lead Selector, the Most Honourable Dr. Desmond Haynes, and Head Coach Daren Sammy alongside CWI Chief Executive Officer Johnny Grave.
In a statement, Johnny Grave expressed the organization's excitement about the impending announcement and highlighted the decision to host a live press conference as a means to directly engage with fans and media.
"Emphasizing the significance of this moment, we chose to host a live press conference to engage with fans and media directly. We also requested permission from the ICC to align our announcement with this event," said Johnny Grave.
The announcement comes amidst increasing excitement as local box offices across the region open on Thursday, May 2, allowing fans to secure their tickets for the tournament. Additionally, CWI will be releasing the official tournament song on the same day, further adding to the anticipation building around the event.
"Excitement is mounting as local box offices open across the region on Thursday, May 2, and we are equally thrilled to release the official tournament song on the same day. Anticipation is building, and we can't wait to share this journey with cricket enthusiasts worldwide," Grave added.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, set to commence on June 1, will be co-hosted in the Caribbean and the United States, culminating with the finals scheduled to take place in Barbados. With preparations in full swing, CWI's squad announcement promises to be a significant moment in the lead-up to this highly anticipated global cricketing event. Stay tuned for the unveiling of the squad and the exciting journey ahead for Cricket West Indies at the ICC T20 World Cup.
IPL: Punjab Kings spinners frustrate CSK in routine win
Punjab Kings eased to back-to-back wins in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday, their spinners doing the damage as they claimed a seven-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings.
The Kings chased down an IPL-record of 262 with eight balls to spare to beat Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday, but they didn't need anywhere near that level of big hitting to clinch their first set of consecutive victories this year.
Spinners Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar made it a far more comfortable outing for Punjab, finishing with two wickets apiece and giving up just 33 runs between them through eight overs.
Ruturaj Gaikwad did his best to keep CSK in it with his 62 off 48 balls, but they always looked unlikely to defend a middling score of 162, particularly when Deepak Chahar pulled up two deliveries into the Punjab innings and walked gingerly from the field.
Richard Gleeson dismissed Prabhsimran Singh for 13 on his IPL debut, but that was as good as it got for Chennai as Jonny Bairstow (46 off 30) and Rilee Rossouw (43 off 25) steadily ate away at their score.
The Super Kings' outing was summed up by Sam Curran's wayward drive spinning away from Shivam Dube at the boundary for a four late on, and Punjab wrapped up their most comfortable win of the season with 13 balls to spare.
Data Debrief: Kings maintain Chennai hoodoo
The Kings' upturn may have come a little too late to give them a genuine shot at the play-offs, but for Chennai, it was a case of more frustration against their bogey team.
Punjab have now won their last five matches against the Super Kings, who have seen their title defence stall with a run of three defeats in four outings.
Marsh named captain in Australia's T20 World Cup squad as Smith and Fraser-McGurk miss out
Mitchell Marsh will captain Australia at next month's T20 World Cup, but Steve Smith and Jake Fraser-McGurk have been left out of the 15-man squad.
Marsh, who has shared the duties on an interim basis since Aaron Finch's retirement, was named the Baggy Greens' permanent T20 skipper on Wednesday.
Test captain Pat Cummins, fast bowler Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell have also been named in the squad, which features 11 of the players that were part of the team that won this tournament in 2021.
However, there is no place for former skipper Smith following a difficult spell of form, while Fraser-McGurk is also absent despite his impressive form in the Indian Premier League.
"This is an experienced squad with extensive World Cup experience that offers a variety of structures and covers the scenarios the panel believes will factor in the West Indies with the unique nature of the venues and our opponents," selection chief George Bailey said.
"Steve Smith, Matt Short, Jason Behrendorff, Aaron Hardie, Spencer Johnson and Xavier Bartlett were all part of long conversations, along with several others, including Jake Fraser-McGurk who is yet to play T20 International cricket but continues to impress and is developing rapidly.
"Being constrained to a squad of 15 for World Cups is always a challenge given the different scenarios and options we’d like to cover.
"Ultimately, the balance of the final 15 needs to provide the best chance of being successful in this campaign."
"It's been an immense privilege to play for my country and now an even greater honour to lead the squad to a World Cup," Marsh added.
"We have had some strong success in recent times, and I am hopeful that will continue in what looks like a wide-open tournament."
Australia will begin their tournament against Oman on June 5, while they will also play England, Scotland and Namibia in Group B.
Australia's provisional squad:
Mitchell Marsh (captain), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
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