Moeen Ali to lead Worcestershire Rapids in the T20 Blast

English allrounder Moeen Ali after his exploits in the three-match T20I and ODI series against India will be back to his domestic side Worcestershire Rapids for the T20 Blast game. Moeen will captain them in the match against Durham Jets at the Emirates Riverside. This will be his first T20 appearance for Worcestershire in two years. He last featured in a game in 2016 and has since been on national duty during this time.

He will also be captaining the team as he was named the skipper for the season. Moeen will also play the next match against Somerset as well which is their only game before the Test squad is announced for the opening Test against India which starts August 1.

Coach explains the T20 formula

The team’s head coach Kevin Sharp admitted that T20 matches have a very small margin which separates the winning team from the other side. He said: “There are small margins, fine lines in this competition. You can win a game from nowhere, you can lose a game from nowhere.

“You can play well and lose. It’s just one game at a time. You get focused on it, you prepare well for it and don’t think too far ahead,” he was quoted as saying by wccc.com “I think that is the key to these games. Durham have got a couple of good results behind them so they will be buoyant so it will be a tough game on Friday evening,” Kevin added.

“Everyone can beat each other in this competition so you’ve just got to prepare well and play with confidence and belief.

“If offered four wins out of five, you’d take it wouldn’t you? Absolutely. A long way to go, a lot of games to go.

“Sometimes losing a game (against Yorkshire) can actually focus you back in so, in many respects, it might not be a bad thing.

“It’s been a great start but you know you are not going to fire on all cylinders in every game. We’ve all been around long enough to know that.

“That is what happened on Sunday but the lads will be ready again for Friday.”

In his T20 career, Moeen has played 116 matches and has contributed to his teams with the bat as well as ball. The left-hander has scored 2222 runs with a strike rate of 130 and has picked up 73 wickets with his off-spin which makes him a real asset considering the demands of the format.

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