Joe Root expects Moeen Ali to comeback strongly in Sydney Test

England skipper Joe Root is hopeful of lead spinner Moeen Ali making a strong comeback in the fifth and final Ashes Test in Sydney which will also be a New Year Test. The left-handed batsman has been a pale shadow of himself so far in the series as the Aussies have successfully countered him. England side were in the ascendancy in the fourth Test at MCG and needed quick wickets on the final day to force the result. But Moeen couldn’t provide any breakthroughs extending his poor form as an all-rounder However, Root believes that he has a great future as England player but refused to speak if he will in Sydney.

The 30-year-old all-rounder has so far endured a miserable tour down under and has failed to make any impact. He has claimed only three wickets in four Tests and is even terrible with the bat without making a single half-century. The team management had promoted him at 6 ahead of Jonny Bairstow to exploit the conditions and score quickly but come the third Test they had demoted him to his original position. Ali needs to up his performance and prove his worth to the side if he features in Sydney where the wicket always assists the spinners.

Root confident of Ali

Australia managed to hold England for a draw on the final day courtesy a spectacular century from Steve Smith. Despite failing to eke out a result in the rain-marred game, Joe Root was happy with his team’s performance. He also believed that Moeen Ali has a great future for England. “Mo’s a fine player. He’s obviously had a tough tour until now, but he’s going to do some great things for England in the future and he has done in the past. We’ve seen a number of guys respond well to a difficult few weeks on this tour already. There’s no reason why Moeen can’t come back from that,” he told reporters during the post-match conference in Melbourne.

England have finally ended their 8-match losing streak down under after earning a draw in the Boxing Day Test. Prior to this, they were blanked quite brutally by Mitchell Johnson in 2013 and had lost the first three Tests on this tour. The fears of the whitewash were again doing rounds but a decent performance has avoided the embarrassment for Root and Co. The visitors now would love to cap off the Test series with a win in Sydney and start the year 2018 on a high.