England all-rounder Moeen Ali has made a name for himself in world cricket. Ali plays in T20 leagues across the globe and has found success in almost all such leagues. The 35-year-old is currently playing in the inaugural edition of the International T20 League. In fact, Moeen is leading one of the six franchises, Sharjah Warriors. The England all-rounder has become a big name in white-ball cricket and he is looked at differently from what he was a few years back.
While Ali used to bat in the lower or lower middle order for England for most of his international career, he was surprisingly promoted to bat at No.3 by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). And this was probably the turning point in Ali’s career as he amassed runs batting higher up the order. The 35-year-old accepts that batting at No.3 gave him a sense of responsibility.
“It made a big difference to my international career. When I was playing for England and batting at 7 (at 8 in Test matches), CSK sent me at No 3. The franchise gave me the responsibility and backing. The big thing is them signing me and then retaining me. The backing you get from CSK and the way the franchise is run is absolutely amazing. Everyone says it is the best franchise,” Ali was quoted saying by Cricbuzz.
Ali then shed light on his relationship with CSK captain MS Dhoni and revealed what he learnt from the sharpest cricketing brain. “I spent some time with MS and spoke a lot. I ask questions about captaincy and he answers. It is very open like that. As a captain, I learnt a lot from him. I have also learnt a lot from his batting,” the all-rounder added.