I didn’t realize how good a player Moeen Ali is until he joined CSK: Michael Hussey

Moeen Ali was one of the key players that were instrumental in the Chennai Super Kings’ fourth IPL triumph in the 2021 season. After being released by the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Ali was roped in by CSK for INR 7 crore at the IPL 2021 mini-auction in February last year before being retained by the franchise for the ongoing season.

Meanwhile, CSK’s batting coach Michael Hussey has heaped praise on the England all-rounder’s cricketing abilities. Giving further clarification on the same, the former Australian middle-order batter has said that he had no clue how good Moeen Ali really was until he became a part of the Chennai-based franchise.

Moeen Ali is a graceful player: Mike Hussey

“Moeen Ali, honestly, is an unbelievable player. I only watched him closely for the first time when he joined the CSK squad in the last season”, said Mike Hussey while speaking on Star Sports. “So, I didn’t realize how good a player he actually is. He’s a beautiful batsman, a graceful player. Just the way he times the cricket ball is fantastic”, he added.

The southpaw was really impressive in the 2021 edition scoring 357 runs from 15 matches averaging 25.50 and a strike rate of 137.30. He also contributed with six wickets at an economy rate of just 6.35. In the ongoing season, Moeen is yet to rediscover his rhythm. He managed just 35 runs and went wicketless in his first game.

However, it is to be noted that the Pakistan-born cricketer has only played one match so far having missed the first game against KKR due to bio bubble protocols. Moeen Ali was CSK’s one of the mandatory retentions for IPL 2022 along with MS Dhoni, skipper Ravindra Jadeja and last season’s Orange Cap winner Ruturaj Gaikwad respectively.

The 2019 World Cup winner would be hoping to play a match-defining knock at number three in the next game and open his account in the wickets tally. Having lost their first two games, the reigning champions would be desperately searching for their first points when they meet Punjab Kings at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on April 3.