SL v ENG 2018: Moeen Ali ready to embrace expectation in Sri Lanka after stellar warm-up show

One Day series will get underway on October 10 at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium.

England started off the Sri Lanka tour on winning note | Getty Image

England all-rounder Moeen Ali is enjoying a great time on the field, as the spinner continued to roar in Sri Lanka with the ball after having had a successful return to the Test side against India and leading Worcestershire to the Vitality T20 Blast title recently.

On October 5 in Colombo, Moeen took the first three Sri Lankan wickets, conceding only 42 runs in his 10 overs, to help England to script a comfortable 43-runs victory in their first warm-up match ahead of the five-match One Day International series, starting from October 10.

Moeen along with leg-spinner Adil Rashid helped England to restrict the Sri Lankans to 287 for 9 from their 50 overs, while an unbeaten partnership of 174 between Captain Eoin Morgan and Test skipper Joe Root helped the Three Lions to begin the tour on winning-note, won the tour match via DLS method- reduced the match to 35.3 overs due to rain.

As per Cricbuzz, Moeen said after the match, “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. 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. It's good for my own confidence to get a couple of wickets upfront against two of their more international type of players. It was nice to get them in the Powerplay.”

The spinner continued, “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 favor, and that always helps. I thought we bowled well as a team to keep them down - it was a very good wicket. It was nice to come out and break that partnership initially and then to get the other guy out. It was good for your confidence.”

He also lauded ODI skipper Morgan, who finished 91 not out from 84 deliveries, saying: “He's a fantastic player of spin, and I personally love the way he plays when he plays with intent. It's great to see some of the shots that he played today.”

Moeen signed off by saying, “As the No. 1 side now, you don't want to come here and start with a loss, especially to a side that's not their main side. The philosophy that Trev [Bayliss] and Morg have tried to emphasize is that we need to win these games quite comfortably. As a side, you don't want to stumble.”

(Input: Cricbuzz)

 
 

By Rashmi Nanda - 06 Oct, 2018

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