'Was almost nice to have a break’ – Moeen Ali

Moeen Ali may have missed out on selection for England’s Tests against Pakistan. But he’s making the most of his time in the sidelines, and on Thursday 17 May shrugged off a patchy run of form to find some runs and confidence.

Ali was, until recently, England's lead spinner, especially in Tests and one-day internationals. With his effective off-spinners and ability to score runs at a quick nip, Ali fit the bill as a bowling all-rounder.

He was not always preferred in Twenty20 Internationals, though, with England opting for Adil Rashid's leg-spin more often than not in the shortest format of the game. Which is why when Royal Challengers Bangalore picked him up for £187,000 in the IPL 2018 auctions, it raised a few eyebrows.

Ali warmed the bench in the first part of the IPL season. But, having sat out of Bangalore's initial nine matches, he gave a good account of himself with the ball, taking two wickets in three games at an economy rate of under seven when he was finally picked.

On Thursday at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore, the 30-year-old showed his prowess with the willow. Coming in at No.4 with his side precariously placed at 38/2 in the fifth over, Ali smoked six sixes and two fours on his way to a 34-ball 65 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, helping Bangalore amass 218/6.

He then picked up the key wicket of Alex Hales as well, just when the opener had started opening his shoulders, to star in a 14-run win.

"It’s great to be in the team," said Ali after his knock. "I feel like I have been playing well in the nets and practice. I have been trying to hit more balls and be consistent in hitting the boundaries."

Ali had an average Ashes, where he scored just 179 runs at an underwhelming 19.88 and managed just five wickets. He then found himself out of the squad for the second Test against New Zealand and has been left out for the Pakistan series later this month as well.

His time in the IPL, even being on the bench, had been helpful, he said, crediting the Bangalore support staff of Gary Kirsten and Trent Woodhill for his improved batting.

"It was almost nice to have a break," he said. "I wasn’t in great form coming here. It is just nice to go out and express myself … And for my own confidence and the team’s confidence in me. Hopefully, we can keep going and I can keep this form going.

"I have really worked on my game and I feel going further in the future for RCB and for England, hopefully it will help me become a better one-day player. Hopefully it is going to improve my game."

Virat Kohli, the Bangalore captain, also praised Ali for bringing in much-needed balance to the side.

"Moeen's come in and done a great job for us," said Kohli. "Three games he has bowled really well and tonight his knock was outstanding, so hats off to him for grabbing his opportunities."