Moeen Ali: ‘No excuses’ as England’s white-ball fortunes continue to slide،
Moeen Ali says there is “no excuse” for England's recent performances after suffering a fourth defeat in five matches against the West Indies.
England lost 10 runs at Granada to leave them 2-0 up in the five-match T20I series, having already lost the ODI series 2-1.
The change in format from ODIs to T20Is saw a number of experienced players join the squad after being rested for the first leg of the journey, with Moeen, Adil Rashid and Chris Woakes returning. However, two matches resulted in two further defeats, with England letting their winning positions slip in both encounters.
It's obviously disappointing because we want to start winning as the World Cup approaches in these conditions,” said Moeen, with this series a de facto dress rehearsal for the T20 World Cup which will take place in the Caribbean and the United States in six months.
“I thought we played well for a lot of the game and then they just bowled two big overs which probably took the game away from us a little bit… I hate to say there were a few positives, but I thought some some.”
Moeen highlighted the performance of Rashid, whose figures of 2 for 11 were the second most economical of his T20I career, and Sam Curran, who was beaten with the ball but responded with a 31-ball half-century, the first of his career in the format, after being promoted to No.4.
“The great thing about being a really good all-rounder is that you can have a bad day with the ball, but you can contribute with the bat and still try to win the game , which he almost did,” Moeen said.
Curran's half-century partially atoned for a 30-run second in which West Indies skipper Rovman Powell hit him for a four and four sixes in five legal deliveries. Curran did dismiss Powell off his last delivery, but it was well beyond 'last laugh' territory as the complexion of the match had changed.
Moeen was seen chatting with Curran mid-round as Powell's assault continued, and explained the gist of it afterwards. “Just be clear, what is your plan? What is your plan B?” he said. “I know he lacks a bit of confidence, but still, in these situations you have to be very brave and try to keep things simple. We have to improve. And it's not just about taking wickets .”
A particularly irritating point for Moeen was England's inability to tackle West Indies spinners Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie, who bowled eight consecutive overs of left-arm spin from the Pavilion End. Hosein played three on the power play, then Motie played his full set, before Hosein came back to finish his set once Motie finished. They combined for figures of 3 for 33, with Motie conceding just nine runs from his four overs.
“They played very well obviously, they know these conditions, but I still think Motie bowling nine out of four overs is not good enough from our point of view. At least I think we can rotate a little bit more If we are I’m not going to bring him down.”
Since the start of the World Cup, England have now won four and lost ten of their last 14 matches. It's a frankly unimaginable situation given the quality and expectations placed on their shoulders after the success of the last eight years.
“Were not [able to] at the moment,” Moeen said simply when asked about England's ability to capture the big moments in matches. West Indies recovered from 54 for 4 in the second match, with England failing to capitalize on their third-highest powerplay score of 77 in the second opening game. Instead, they lost all ten wickets for 94.
“But there is still some time before the World Cup and we have to sort out some things as a team.
“I mean, there are still players to come back, obviously with Stokesy, Bairstow and Woody. But there's no excuse. Everyone is a good player here – our guys have played a lot now in T20.
“It hasn't been that long since we won the World Cup. We just have to adapt quickly to these conditions because that's what we're going to get, it's completely different to Australia and we have to just start winning.”
For a player with Moeen's experience, who has been an ever-present in England's white-ball formats since 2015 and remains vice-captain, the current situation and environment is a distinct change from the dressing room which spent eight years defeating almost everyone who came before them. And while Moeen admitted patience was also required, the natural post-match irritation after suffering a loss was tangible.
“I mean, of course, you have to be patient for the new players to find a bit of a role in the team and their feet, but still, even when we were playing before, it wasn't just a win or a failure – it was 'We're going to play you, put it aside'. It wasn't all about fighting and just hitting sixes. We have players who are really smart and good players. It takes sometimes a little time and place the players in the right positions.
“There will be a difficult period. It was always going to happen, as everyone knows. It's just about coming back from this situation and making everyone understand their role in the team.”
