England opener Moeen Ali says he is relishing the chance to reconnect with an old friend at the top of the order in the Tri-Series.
Moeen opened the innings with his former Warwickshire colleague Ian Bell yesterday as England recorded a comfortable victory over an Australian Capital Territory XI in Canberra, with each player making a fifty.
It's a packed media room as we hear from all-rounder Moeen Ali. We're have the video from his press conference soon. pic.twitter.com/3m16OPkMAh
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) January 13, 2015
The now-Worcestershire all-rounder thinks Bell is the ideal partner and that they are benefiting from previous experience, reflecting: “I think it was great first time out. We got a great start and I thought we complemented each other really well, so it's nice.
“I’ve batted with Belly quite a bit you know.
“When I first started at Warwickshire he was playing and I really enjoyed batting with him.
“He’s very busy and he’s very good at giving the single as well as hitting the boundary shots, and obviously he’s a very classy player. I really enjoy batting with Belly and hopefully we can have a good combination together.”
After a stunning knock of 119 in the first one-day international against Sri Lanka during November, Moeen struggled for consistency but he has pledged to continue his attacking approach at the top of the order, insisting it is the best way for him to play.
Batting spotlight - we went behind the scenes with #MoeenAli during his net session #triseries#CWC15: http://t.co/LHEkmNGW2m via @YouTube
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) January 13, 2015
He said: “I feel like it’s the best way for me to play.
“If I’ve got any doubt I’ll just tell myself to go hard and not go into a little shell.
"If we are going to win the World Cup and be a successful one-day side we will need good starts.
"We need guys in the top three who can set the standards for everyone else and be expansive and take some risks.”
He added: "In Sri Lanka I got bowled first ball having a slog. It's not nice to get out first ball, but I'd prefer to get out trying to go hard rather than just blocking it."
Power-hitting! All-rounder Moeen Ali goes on the attack & plays the pull shot in the nets #triseries#CWC15https://t.co/JIvB2zSA8b
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) January 13, 2015
Despite being England’s premier spinner in the Test arena, Moeen is expecting to take a back seat with the ball in Australia, but is well prepared should he be needed.
"The Tri-Series will be tough because Australians play spin very well and are very aggressive against spin," Moeen said.
"But I'm going to prepare like I've got a big role to play with the ball. There will be times when perhaps I won't bowl as much as Tred (James Tredwell) and vice-versa but I will definitely prepare like I've got a big role to play."