Moeen Ali saga another reminder of cricket's current climate

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Virat Kohli’s startled look when he was bowled by Moeen Ali was replicated on all England fans’ faces when we heard the news that the off-spinner was flying home.

Bubble life is blisteringly boring, and this piece is not here to judge him… they knew he was going home, but did offer him the chance to stay… one wonders if they would have dropped Dom Bess for the second Test at Chennai if they had known for sure. Indeed George Dobell reports that Ali confirmed his intention to leave as planned only on Monday.

It’s a shame England do not play their strongest XI in every Test, especially a blue-riband Test series in India… but I do not want to find myself underneath a Twitter pile-on. In hindsight, if only Ali had enjoyed his break while England were in Sri Lanka.

It has to be said that many fans are upset that he is going home now, but is likely to play in the lucrative Indian Premier League later in the year (his six blitzkrieg surely sealed that deal – the auction is on Thursday)… but that is the world we now live in. He has not been a Test regular of late, and the IPL money is difficult to turn down… and it will be good for him ahead of the World Cup.

Everyone seems in agreement that 18 Test matches for England this year (if you include the entire Ashes series) is about five to eight too many.

It seems puzzling why this rest period for Moeen was not publicised earlier, however, when the others for Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran and Mark Wood were.

Unlucky Bess

Hopefully, Bess has enjoyed the break, is refreshed and has had time to think and practise, under the expert tutelage of spin-bowling coach Jeetan Patel.

Simon Hughes’ piece in The Sunday Times was informative, explaining how Bess falls away in delivery, releasing the ball from beyond the vertical (i.e 11 o’clock); Ali is better (from 1 o’clock).

I have to say I was equally shocked at the omission of Bess for the second Test after he had taken 17 wickets at 22 apiece in the three Tests on the subcontinent since Christmas – though many said bowling that any full-tosses was simply unsustainable.

England studied his pitch-map and deduced some of his wickets had been a tad fortuitous, and his luck was bound to change.

That’s a dangerous game, and the movie Minority Report springs to mind, when Tom Cruise arrested people before they actually committed any crimes on the assumption that they were going to.

^{Dom Bess was rested for the second Test}

Bess’ match figures of 34-5-126-5 in the first Test at Chennai (wickets at an average of 25.20) do not compare unfavourably with Moeen’s in the second: 61-10-226-8 (average 28.25).

Ravichandran Ashwin has taken 17 at 17.82 in the two Tests so far, by way of contrast. Comparisons with a man that many are likening to Sir Ian Botham – bowling on his home patch – are rather unfair, though!

The batting of Bess and Moeen is more than handy, so either/or will do there… but actually I wonder if England were considering playing both plus Jack Leach in the last Test (depending on the surface at Ahmedabad).

Third Test XI

England will likely restore James Anderson for the third Test, possibly at the expense of Stuart Broad (although both have been mooted to play in the pink-ball match).

Hopefully, Jofra Archer will be fit again, and with Olly Stone impressing and the effervescent Mark Wood now with the squad, England are well-stocked in the quicks department.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing… but England may well now regret not picking Keaton Jennings, as was touted.

The prospect was greeted with ridicule by some fans, but he has made 400 Test runs at 44.44, with two centuries, in Asia, and may well have found it easier going than Rory Burns.

Hopefully, Zak Crawley will have recovered from his wrist sprain to come in for Burns, and Jonny Bairstow may well replace Dan Lawrence, who at least battled hard in the second innings of the second Test.

It’s difficult to summon up too much optimism about the remaining two Tests, but hopefully, Root – most likely in conjunction with his Yorkshire team-mate Bairstow – can help England post a decent total again.

Cricket book XI

Of course if you're really stuck for something to do on a rainy day you could try to make an all-time England XI from your books. pic.twitter.com/B2TuKA3ZH9

— Wartime Cricket (@CricketWartime) February 15, 2021

With the Test finishing early I decided to sort out my cricket books. 

The elite have gone in a new bookcase, and I posted a picture on Twitter.

John Broom (aka @CricketWartime) replied with a brilliant game… making an all-time England XI from your books. Ingenious!

His XI would take some beating… over to you.