Lack of aggression costing England dear: Moeen Ali

Moeen Ali. Pic/AFP

Over the last few years, England's success in the white-ball formats were built on downright aggression, and all-rounder Moeen Ali on Tuesday admitted that the defending champions have not been able to produce that kind of cricket in this World Cup.

England have lost three games out of four in this tournament and are in dire need to win the next matches to keep their hopes of reaching the semi-finals alive.

Also Read: ICC World Cup 2023: Do-or-die for England!

"We've been playing aggressive cricket since 2015 and done it quite well. I think the lack of that way of cricket has probably cost us a little bit in this tournament.

No slogging required

"I think we need to play that way, but without slogging the ball, but just be that really aggressive side that we know we can be," said Moeen in the pre-match press conference.
However, Moeen was candid enough to say that playing this brand of cricket is not always easy, as it required sustained aggression.

"It's not always that easy. Yeah, most of the time you want the guys to score quickly and score for longer periods, so then it makes it easier for everybody else. But it doesn't always work like that," he said.

However, the 36-year-old hoped that openers Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan and the No. 3 batter would fire soon so that the middle-order players can cash in on it, something of a template South Africa have been setting here.

"If you get your openers and top three firing, it certainly helps everybody else and you get in the big scores aside. We've spoken about it, and it's not always easy. We know you can't do it all the time. But the guys are due for some runs, and hopefully, it's going to come now," he added.

Handy IPL experience

Ali reasoned that his and captain Jos Buttler's experience of playing in the IPL would come good for England at some stage in the tournament.

"Jos has played a lot here as well, so he knows a lot of the conditions, and he knows what happens in India. And yeah, he bounces a few ideas off me, and I do the same thing," he said. The Warwickshire all-rounder said the team as a whole will have to regroup quickly to effect a turnaround in fortunes.

"We're disappointed. You've got to move on as quick as you can and regroup. Everything is a must-win and we know we've been in this position before, probably not to this degree.
"We have to get our confidence [back] and perform well and bat, bowl and field better," he added.

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