England coach Peter Moores is excited by the heights all-rounder Moeen Ali's could yet reach in international cricket after the off spinner claimed six wickets during his side's first Test win in nearly a year.
Ali's second-innings return of six for 67 was instrumental in beating India out for 178 as England won the third Test by 266 runs at Southampton on Thursday to level the five-match series at 1-1.
Ali's bowling display saw the Worcestershire all-rounder, a practising Muslim, put to one side the controversy he had generated earlier in the match by wearing wristbands proclaiming 'Save Gaza' and 'Free Palestine', Sport24 reported.
A surprised Moores said that Ali is a very levelheaded bloke and that is one of his real strengths. He added that the all rounder stays calm under pressure.
Often damned with the faint praise of being a 'part-time' off-spinner, Ali has so far claimed 15 wickets at an impressive average of 26.46 in the India series, with only England's James Anderson (16 wickets) a more successful bowler so far in the first three Tests.
Moores said that Test match cricket is about how rapidly people grow in it, and added that Ali has grown very quickly as a bowler. Moores, who is now in his second spell as England coach, said that he hopes that Ali's growth carries on.
Moores further added that Ali keeps getting better and that is exciting, because one does not know when he's going to stop.
Moores also said that the all-rounder attacks both edges, gets great drift and turns the ball. He said that without drift and spin it is very difficult because if one only attacks one edge of the bat, the way people work one out is quite fast. But, he added that because Ali creates this drift, he is a challenge for all batters.
