One of the key factors in the upcoming Ashes will be how Australia fair against Moeen Ali’s offbreaks.
While the Aussies struggle against spin overseas, at home, where the pitches offer little turn, they tend to dominate opposition tweakers.
The 2013-14 Ashes was the perfect example. Australia targeted Graeme Swann, seeing one of England’s greatest spinners retire mid-tour, ending the series with a bowling average of 80.
Similarly, last summer there was a significant contrast in the home side’s results when they targeted the spinner and when they failed to do so.
Australia lost the first two games of the summer to South Africa, when Keshav Maharaj was the tourists’s spinner. Although Maharaj wasn’t required to bowl much in Hobart, where Australia were skittled by pace, Maharaj was key to their win in Perth.
On debut, Maharaja bowled 58.3 overs for just 150 runs, taking four wickets. These figures may not seem particularly striking, but in Australia’s second innings South Africa were without the injured Dale Steyn.
If Australia had successfully gone after Maharaj in this innings, an enormous amount of pressure would have been put on South Africa’s remaining bowlers. Instead, Maharaj deliverd 40.1 overs for a miserly 94 runs.
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Contrastingly, Australia attacked Pakistan’s Yasir Shah with great effect, the legbreak bowler finishing the series with a bowling average of 84 and an economy rate of 4.53. Australia won the series three-nil.
This illustrated the fact that, despite Australia potentially having the worst conditions for spin of any Test-playing nation, the spinner is still crucial to the team’s performance.
Furthermore, a spinner doesn’t need to take bags of wickets in Australia to benefit their side, they just need to be able to tie down an end.
This links to the first point, as in Perth, Maharaj did his pacemen a massive favour by being able to give them a rest without conceding many runs. The spinner’s performance affects the whole team.
This was also shown in England’s successful 2010-11 campaign. Here, Swann’s average was an unimpressive 39.80, yet his economy rate was just 2.72, compared to 2013-14, where it was 3.94.
Unsurprisingly, England’s pace attack was far more effective in 2010-11, despite Stuart Broad missing most the series.
AAP Image/Dave Hunt
Ali’s focus must therefore be his economy, which does not come naturally to him.
Having spent the majority of his career as a batting all-rounder, Ali has done a commendable job as England’s frontline spinner. Yet his economy rate in Test cricket is 3.66, which for an offspinner is on the high side.
More encouraging is that in 2017, Ali has taken 30 wickets at just 21.29 runs apiece. His economy rate has also been better, but still not great, at 3.33.
This that if Ali can’t be consistently economical, that he can perhaps take enough wickets to make Australia think twice before attacking him.
Furthermore, all of Australia’s top three are left-handers, and while it is early days for Matt Renshaw, both David Warner and Usman Khawaja are far more comfortable against pace than spin.
Perhaps most worrying for England is the question of what to do if he doesn’t perform. In their 16-man squad, they only have one other spinner, in 20-year-old legbreak bowler Mason Crane.
He is an exciting prospect, but Crane will not tie down an end, as shown by his economy rate in first-class cricket of 3.88. What’s more, his county side, Sussex, haven’t picked on pitches they feel wouldn’t favour him.
Furthermore, in Ben Stokes’ absence, England lack another all-rounder to cover for Ali if he is struggling. The closest they have to a part-timer is Joe Root, who currently averages 49.26 with the ball in Test cricket.
In picking Crane as the only backup spinner, the English selectors have placed an enormous amount of pressure on Ali – his performances may end up having a huge influence on the series result.
JohnB
Guest
That's it in a nutshell. Klaus' basic premise - that the spinner in Australia is generally there to tie up one end once the new ball ages, allowing the pace bowlers to rotate through the other end - is right, but Moeen hasn't shown himself to be the sort of bowler who can do that effectively.
dave
Guest
Ali can also bat very well and he has a knack of taking wickets unexpectedly; he is one of the poms to watch.
Tanmoy Kar
Guest
Moeen Ali is more a batsman than a bowler, his spin bowling sometime works in English condition. He will not be effective in Australia for sure, so nothing to afraid about him.
troyboy
Guest
ali will probably be thumped just like most spinners are in aus, last year was different because vs SA the pitches were actually bowler friendly for once and the aussies were collapsing so badly vs quality pace they simply couldn't attack Maharaj. England will be facing flatter decks and ali will likely be facing more set batsmen and that puts him in a much tougher spot.
JimmyB
Guest
Mason Crane plays for Hampshire.
DavSA
Guest
A super article Klaus and very relevant . A month or two ago I posted here that Ali was key to Englands cause . The general consensus in response to that was that in England yes he is very effective but not on Australian pitches. What those respondents had not factored in as you have is Maharaj's match figures during the SA /AUS series. He was vital to to the Proteas winning. With Stokes on the sidelines Ali's underated batting also becomes crucial . I would almost go so far as to say ....get the better of Ali in this series and the Ashes is half won.
matth
Guest
Well you can go ahead and argue it if you like. India have a couple of handy ones, ranked 1 and 2 for spinners in test cricket. Herath and Lyon and the next and are both also in the Top 10 test match bowler lists. So Moeen is not in the top 10 bowlers in the world or the top 4 spinners. so I assume he is in 11 to 20? No, afraid not. the three spinners in there are Yasir Shah (15), Shakib (17) and Maharaj (18). Moeen comes next at 21. So according to those ranking he is arguably the best spinner in the world, but also arguably the 8th best. India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and South Africa all appear to have spinners who are arguably better. Sakib, Ashwin, Jadeja and Stokes are all ranked higher as allrounders, arguably.
David a Pom
Guest
Moeen Ali is arguably the best spinner in the world, and one of the 2 top all rounders in the world. Australia should be scared.
Ouch
Guest
He will be effective if our batsmen fail to show him due respect and try to hit him out of the park.
Junior Coach
Guest
he will be milked at 5-6 runs an over on hard pitches and fast outfields.
Jameswm
Guest
Moeen's bowling is even more important if England play 3 quicks (with no Stokes). If Moeen and Bairstow bat at 6 and 7 with 4 mediums to follow, they can cover for him better and we're better off milking him.
JamesH
Roar Guru
I'm not sure I would go as far as saying his bowling could decide the Ashes, but he is certainly important to England's chances. They can easily still lose if he does a tidy job but I'm not sure they can win if he leaks runs. I think Moeen's batting will be very important and he seems like someone who will enjoy batting on Australia's pitches. He's strong on the cut and the pull so the pace and bounce shouldn't worry him the way it might bother a few of England's other batsmen.
AGordon
Guest
You left out Ali's bowling figures in 2015 in Australia Klaus, where he went for well over 40 runs a wicket. .I'm sure he's improved, but I'm also sure guys like Warner and Smith have at playing spin. You're right, there's going to be huge pressure on him to spell the quicks, to tie up an end and maybe get a wicket or two. I just can't see him doing that, based on previous performances. If I were an English quick, the prospect of bowling lots of overs looms large, because the other bowlers just won't provide support. Might be a long, hot summer for Anderson and Broad.
E-Meter
Guest
Ali's arm balls will have Warner quivering like an Italian soldier.