WORCESTERSHIRE have been boosted by the news that Moeen Ali is available for Sunday’s (April 6) opening LV= County Championship clash with Hampshire.
The 26-year-old flew back from Bangladesh on Tuesday after England’s early exit from the Twenty20 World Cup and will go straight into the side at the Ageas Bowl.
The all-rounder played three ODIs and six T20s, including one half-century against the West Indies, and took a number of crucial wickets.
David Leatherdale, Worcestershire chief executive, said he was delighted at Ali’s progress over the winter.
“Moeen has had his opportunity and taken his chances in a couple of games and hopefully, while it has been tough for the last couple of T20 games, he will be part of the set-up going forward for the summer,” he said.
“It is a very much a new era for England. Obviously Moeen did brilliantly last year, which got him in the England fold, and he has probably got to continue that on.
“If he carries on the consistency he has shown in the last 12-18 months, then hopefully he will be part of the England set-up for quite some time.
“The balance for him is how far he can push on from the one-day stuff into the next level (Test matches).
“Obviously England will decide who is going to be running the show (in succession to Andy Flower) in the next month or so and hopefully Moeen will be part of it.”
England pick their one-day squads in early May for the Scotland game which will mean Ali will be available for at least the first few weeks of the season.
