Being dropped came as a relief, says Moeen Ali

Being dropped for England’s last Test in New Zealand came as relief rather than disappointment, Moeen Ali has said.

Ali, the off-spinning all-rounder, has played 50 Tests for England and has enjoyed the strong backing of his captains since his debut in June 2014. He has missed only one Test since he broke into the England side and that because of injury.

However, after a poor run of form with both bat and ball during the Ashes in Australia and scores of 0 and 28 as England slumped to an innings defeat in the first Test against New Zealand, he was left out of the XI for the final Test.

Ali, a star during England’s summer in 2017, said he expected the axing earlier and insisted it freed him up to work on his game.

“When I didn’t play the last Test in New Zealand it was a relief,” he said in an interview to The Guardian. “I could have been dropped three Tests earlier – I probably should have been – but Joe said he sees me as a match-winner and, with 50 matches of experience, they wanted to give me a longer run.

“It was almost like: ‘Right, now I can actually work on my game and mentally have a break from the pressure of playing.’ When it’s my time again, I will be ready.”

Ali has been seen as England’s senior spinner. But, he said he hoped to focus on his batting and establish himself in the line-up.

“I have been up and down the batting order and it’s difficult,” he said. “You don’t really know your role. You do your best, but I think I’m going to try and get back in as a batsman first, spinner second.

“The problem is, because I have played more than others – say if Jack Leach is in the same team, or Liam Dawson or Adil Rashid before – I’ll still get seen as the senior spinner because I’m more experienced.”

Ali is one of the contingent of English players featuring in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this season. He is part of the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise. Although he hasn’t got a game yet, he said he was enjoying the chance to play and train alongside the best, and explore new facets of his game.

“I have never worked on power-hitting. I’ve just always batted and when days have gone my way, it’s been nice,” he explained. “But with Trent Woodhill, one of the coaches, I’m learning different ways to hit the ball.

“It’s amazing how far you can hit the ball. I’ve always been able to hit the ball far but not consistently like I have in practice over here. I’m enjoying it so much.”