England’s Moeen Ali is on the verge of joining a very elite list of Test cricket achievers as the fourth Ashes Test gets underway today. He is just 23 runs away from completing 3,000 Test runs and with 200 wickets already to his name, he is set to become only the fourth Englishman after Ian Botham (5,200 runs and 383 wickets), Andrew Flintoff (3,845 and 226) and Stuart Broad (3,640 and 598) to achieve this rare double in the longest format.
“To get the double would mean a lot to me, but my dad is the one who is buzzing for it so hopefully I can get there. I know it’s only 20-odd runs, but it feels like miles off. I hope it happens and I know it would make my family proud, and when I look back at my career, 200 wickets is one thing I can be proud about,” said Ali, 36, who retired from Tests before being called up for this Ashes series.
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Ali is set to bat at No. 3 and he believes it’s good for the team. “I know you want your best players up the order and three is a big number in Test cricket, but actually for this side, at the moment, it’s a good thing because with Popey [Ollie Pope] out of the side everybody stays where they are, and Brooky [Harry Brook] can have a huge impact at five,” added Ali, who has, interestingly, batted in every position from one to nine.
The all-rounder revealed that he’s training hard for the responsibility and is confident of delivering the goods for the hosts. “I’ve done it before for England and I’m looking forward to it. I’m hitting balls, training quite a bit, trying to get myself ready for a tough challenge, facing new balls. It’s not easy because the Aussies are very good, but it’s one of those things, don’t overthink it. I’ve made Test hundreds before [five] so it’s not like I can’t do it. It’s just when you’ve been out of Test cricket for a while, but I didn’t come back for anything personal. I had the opportunity and thought ‘let me get a taste of this new era in Test cricket.’ I came back to try to win the Ashes,” Ali concluded.
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