3 reasons why Moeen Ali is an underrated Test spinner

England all-rounder Moeen Ali made a surprise comeback to Test cricket after skipper Ben Stokes sent an SOS to him ahead of Ashes 2023. Left-arm spinner Jack Leach had been ruled out of the series due to injury and England needed someone potent who could do the job in Leach’s absence.

Some critics raised questions over the decision to persuade Moeen out of Test retirement, claiming it was a step in a backward direction. More swords came out as the off-spinner struggled with blisters on his bowling finger in the opening Test at Edgbaston. The bowler did claim three wickets but did not look all that effective.

Having missed the Lord’s Test, he returned for the next match at Headingley and went wicketless on a track which aided fast bowlers. Moeen reserved his best for the final Ashes 2023 Test at The Oval. He claimed 3/76 in 23 overs in Australia’s second innings as England won the contest by 49 runs to level the five-match series at 2-2.

After the game, Moeen confirmed that he had played his last Test and wouldn’t be seen for England in the format again.

On that note, we look at three reasons why the off-spinner is a highly underrated bowler in Test cricket.

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#1 Moeen has a reasonably impressive Test record as a bowler

The England off-spinner claimed three scalps on Day 5 of The Oval Test. (Pic: Getty Images)

It is often said that stats always don’t tell the entire story. At the same time, numbers do tell a tale in itself. If we look at Moeen’s Test career, he has a pretty impressive record as a bowler.

In 68 Tests, he claimed 204 wickets at an average of 37.31, with five five-fers and one 10-wicket match haul. His average might be on the higher side, but it must be remembered that Moeen started his Test career primarily as a batter, who was a part-time spinner before gradually growing in his role as an all-rounder.

Among England spinners, Moeen is third on the list of highest wicket-takers in the Test format. Only Derek Underwood (297 wickets in 86 Tests) and Graeme Swann (255 wickets in 60 Tests) are above the off-spinner on the illustrious list. This says a lot about the nature of Moeen’s contribution to England’s Test team.

It goes without saying that, as a bowler, Moeen is nowhere in the same league as Underwood and Swann. But despite his limitations, he made a significant impact with his bowling.

As such, Moeen deserves a lot more credit for his Test performances with the ball than he has actually got.

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#2 He is a canny operator

The 36-year-old is third on the list of England spinners with the most Test wickets. (Pic: Getty Images)

One of the reasons why Moeen tasted the amount of success that he did in Test cricket was because he was a cannier operator than many thought. He is someone who has troubled Virat Kohli a lot during the course of his career and that says a lot about his bowling ability.

Moeen got a lot of his Test wickets by tossing the ball up and beating the batters in flight, as most renowned off-spinner would do. Even in his farewell Test at The Oval, he ended Travis Head’s resistance with a nicely tossed-up delivery.

The off-spinner bowled England to victory over South Africa by claiming 10 wickets (4/59 & 6/53) in the 2017 Test at Lord’s. This performance came against a Proteas batting line-up comprising Dean Elgar, Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, and Quinton de Kock.

Moeen was also the surprise package in the 2014 home series against India. He was the second-leading wicket-taker with 19 scalps in eight innings, bamboozling the visitors, who were known to be great players of spin. When India visited England in 2018, Moeen was again their nemesis in Southampton, claiming nine wickets.

For someone who has delivered more than a couple of match-winning spells with the ball, the 36-year-old hasn’t been praised enough.

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#3 His unassuming nature

The off-spinner enjoyed bowling against India in Test matches. (Pic: Getty Images)

Another reason why Moeen is a highly underrated bowler is because of his unassuming nature. He is not someone who celebrates his wicket like James Anderson or Stuart Broad. For the off-spinner, it’s mostly about getting on with his job - trying to do what the team asked of him.

This self-effacing nature of his was on display during Ashes 2023 as well. Even as there were plenty of questions being asked of him, following a disappointing start to his campaign on Test comeback, he was happy not to overreact. And when his time came, he was happy to perform his role and quietly slip under the radar, with all the attention on Broad.

His Test retirement came in the manner he has played his cricket, without much noise.