18 July 2023 , 17:45
1052
0
Moeen Ali batting at No.3 is crazy - but it just might work for an England setup who have shown they have a knack of being adaptable and lucky.
That’s the verdict of former England No.3 Mark Butcher who has been thoroughly entertained during this LV= Insurance Ashes series from the commentary box, and hopes his successor can do enough to make the most of those who are coming in behind him.
No-one, not least Moeen himself could have predicted he would be in this position just a few months ago, but injuries to Jack Leach and Ollie Pope, coupled with a contented middle order have led to the remarkable switch.
And if the off-spinning all rounder can cope with another move up the order with a ‘light heart’ as he suggests he will, then England may well benefit from thinking outside the box.
“The whole Moeen batting three thing is crazy isn’t it?” says Butcher, who averaged 40 batting at three in the Ashes and was speaking at an event ahead of the 4th LV= Insurance Test. “It has very little chance of working, but it does mean they can keep Harry Brook in a position where they think he is going to be more dangerous, and they get their spinner in the side.
Ballance set to make Test return for Zimbabwe after Yorkshire racism scandal
“Approaching it with a pretty light heart is the way to do it. He is not making a career out of batting at three for England, he’s performing a role for the circumstances, and they’ll send him out the door to score his runs as fast as he can.
Mark Butcher has labelled the decision to put Moeen Ali at No.3 as "crazy" (Dilantha Dissanayake/PA Wire)“It’s not a traditional way of thinking, but why would you expect it to be? That’s been the entirety of Ben’s leadership - that you don’t just do things because they’ve always been done that way.
“They are adapting after the injuries and they’ve got this utility batter who can be put anywhere, with the irony being that Moeen stopped playing Test cricket, sick and tired of being bounced around the order.
“It's funny, but not in a way that you think is ridiculous. It's funny because it kind of looks like it's going to work out okay. Which is great. Sometimes it pays to be lucky, and I have no truck against that at all.”
Mark Butcher was speaking on behalf of LV= Insurance, title sponsors of this summer’s LV= Insurance Men’s Ashes Series. Head to to find out more