World-class Moeen Ali has proved himself in last four-five years, confesses Adil Rashid

England’s leg-spinner Adil Rashid admitted that fellow spinner Moeen Ali has proved himself to be a match-winner and a world-class player for the country in the last four-five years. Ali’s last Test came last year in 1st Ashes Test in Birmingham, where he picked up three wickets in the game.

However, thanks to his poor batting display, Ali was dropped from the Test squad for the subsequent series against New Zealand and South Africa. The off-spinner was overlooked for the series against Sri Lanka before cricket came to a sudden halt. 

"He's (Moeen Ali) a world-class player, he's proven that over the past four-five years, being a match-winner for England. This is a decision that he wanted to make, that he thought was best for himself, to relax and have some time off and that's something that we have to respect," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Rashid as saying.

He also added that if there is any cricket going to played this summer, Ali’s name would surely be mentioned as a candidate. In his absence, Jack Leach became England’s No.1 spinner, including becoming a hero for the country with his batting. 

"But if there was going to be any cricket played this summer, I'm sure that he would have been a name mentioned as a candidate. That's something that he'll come back into, Test cricket," he added.