COLOMBO: England haven’t had a full tour of Sri Lanka since 2012, and though for many in their squad the heat and humidity are a fresh experience, Moeen Ali has done it all before – twice.
Moeen was part of England’s 2014 seven-ODI tour of the island of course – the tour in which it was England, not Sri Lanka, who had the captaincy crisis, and the poor one-day record, and the terrible run leading up to the following year’s World Cup. But even before then, Moeen had had a bite of the island’s conditions. Folks at the Moors Sports Club in central Colombo will tell you that in early 2012, Moeen played three three-day matches for the club. He had been pretty good for them too, racking up 335 runs at an average of 67, in addition taking the occasional wicket.
Six years later, a much-improved Moeen is back in Colombo, and he knows he is one of England’s key players on tour. As a spin-bowling allrounder, he will be expected to make an impact with the ball as well. If Friday’s practice match is any evidence, he appears poised for a decent haul. Moeen claimed 3 for 42 with his offspin, before England sauntered to a 43-run Duckworth-Lewis victory.
“It’s always nice to tour somewhere where you think you’re going to play a big role – it does give you that extra bit more,” he said. “It’s never a guarantee that you’re going to go well. I’ve had that experience as well, going to India and stuff. You’ve got to stay calm about it – can’t get too far ahead.”
All three of his wickets were high-quality players. First, he bowled opener Lahiru Thirimanne, who was in the Sri Lanka Test team last time the toured England. Two balls later, he dismissed the other opener Dimuth Karunaratne, who is the form batsman in Sri Lanka’s Test side at present. Then later, he took the wicket of Kusal Mendis, whom he will likely bowl at again in the Tests. Moeen’s bowling helped restrict the Board XI to 287 for 9.
“It’s good for my own confidence to get a couple of wickets up front against two of their more international type of players,” Moeen said of his double-strike in the ninth over of the innings. “It was nice to get them in the Powerplay. These guys are used to these conditions, and they are good players in these conditions. It’s not going to be as easy as people think, but as a spinner, you do have things in your favour, and that always helps.
