Moeen Ali feels England deserves the tag of favourites in the Champions Trophy

English all-rounder Moeen Ali feels that the hosts England deserve the favourites tag for the upcoming Champions Trophy scheduled to be played in England & Wales from June 1-19. England narrowly missed out lifting the title last time around as they went down to India by a mere 5 runs in the rain-curtailed final. Since then England has transformed a lot as a limited overs team and is a firm contender for the tournament scheduled to commence in 20 days time.

Ever since their shock exit at the hands of Bangladesh in the 2015 World Cup, England has improved drastically and have been a dominant side in the shorter format of the game. Eoin Morgan, England’s limited-overs captain had hailed this side as the most talented group he has been a part of and backed them to go all the way and lift their first ever ICC trophy in the 50 overs version.

“The team we have at the moment, we deserve that favourites tag,” Moeen was quoted as saying by the British Media. “Playing at home is going to make a massive difference and hopefully we can win the trophy,” the southpaw further added. After losing the Champions Trophy final to India in 2013, they also lost the World T20 final against West Indies last year but Moeen is of the opinion that they might be 3rd time lucky.

“We have lost a couple of finals recently but over the last couple of years, we have played very well in preparation for this trophy. Hopefully, if we get to the final we can overcome the final step and win it. We have gained experience from the T20 World Cup so it will definitely help us,” Moeen said.

The English limited overs side has changed their style of playing and have shifted to an attacking brand of cricket ever since their dubious return in the 2015 World Cup. “The mindset of the players has changed,” Moeen said while lauding the impact of Morgan. “He wants us to play without fear and to hit the lights out,” he further added.

The hosts England are placed in Group B with Australia, New Zealand and Bangladesh and it won’t be an easy task for them to reach the semi-finals.