England have been told they a better chance of winning the Ashes now that Moeen Ali has decided to end his Test retirement and replace the injured Jack Leach.
The return of all rounder Moeen was confirmed by the ECB on Wednesday morning after the 35-year-old accepted Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s overtures to end his red ball exile and help them out of a tricky spot.
And England’s greatest ever off spinner Graeme Swann reckons the duo have pulled off another masterstroke by persuading the mercurial but brilliant Moeen back into the fold, nearly two years after his last red ball match.
“I’m glad to see Moeen back,” said Swann. “He’s still brilliant. I watched him in the IPL, he’s mercurial sure, but he’s still a brilliant talent. I think it makes us stronger, which is hard on Jack because he was doing a good job with the ball, but it extends the batting which is important and with all their lefties we’ve got an off spinner bowling at them.
“The very fact that Baz and Stokesy are in charge makes it easy for him. They’ve said ‘you come in and all your positive attributes are what we’re after.’ None of the hang ups of anything that has happened before or not performing or whatever. I’m sure he’s just been given a licence to run up and bowl and spin it as hard as he can and bat the way he can.
“Maybe before he didn’t enjoy the red ball as much, it is a hard game. It is much harder than T20 cricket, trust me. Harder on the mind, and the body and everything.
“The reason why I always liked Mo as a bowler is because he spins it properly and bowls it off the right knuckle to get the most revolutions and that dip. I think having his tyres pumped up by Baz and Stokesy and coming into a dressing room with guys he has grown up with who play in the same free spirited way will suit him down to the ground and that is why he’s come back.”
But what does it say about the state of English spin bowling that their back up plan is to prise a player out of retirement?
“It says what it says, which is that we don’t have good enough spinners in the country ready to go,” he lamented.
“We have spinners coming through - I’ve been working with the Lions and there are some talented lads there - but they are not quite ready.”
Swann has always been an excitable character, and that infectious enthusiasm came out during a coaching session with a group of kids who could benefit from five new net facilities being built in the Ashes-playing cities by team sponsor IG.
And he clearly can’t wait to see England go toe-to-toe with the Aussies again with their attacking approach that will be anything but submissive.
“Australians are like dogs in a fight,” added the Trent Rockets assistant coach. “They want you to be submissive. They always have done. Teams who stand up to them and go toe-to-toe stand a much better chance of winning the fight against them.
“It’s not the hatred and open warfare that people think, but you have to play aggressive cricket against them.”
And what about the return of his Trent Rockets boss Andy Flower to the Ashes battle, although this time as a coaching consultant in the Aussie dressing room?
"I don’t see anything wrong with it," he said. "If you’re not asked to work with England then you’re a free agent and Andy is a phenomenal cricketing brain. I saw the absolute best of him with England and I’ve seen the best of him at Trent Rockets, he is a legend."
