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England all-rounder Moeen Ali praised skipper Ben Stokes for his exceptional innings in the first innings of the third Ashes Test against Australia at Headingley.
While acknowledging Stokes' ability to thrive in difficult situations, Moeen cautioned that the team cannot solely rely on him, especially when there are other talented players in the squad.
During the second day of the ongoing Ashes Test, England's impressive bowling performance led by Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, and Chris Woakes left Australia struggling at 116/4 in response to England's total of 237, giving the hosts a 142-run lead.
Moeen expressed his confidence in Stokes, stating, "He is the one player in the world that everybody will be thinking (can do it) in that situation, especially against Australia because he has done it a couple of times now. White ball, red ball, whatever it is, as long as he is there you have got a great chance of winning," as quoted by cricket.com.au.
However, Moeen emphasized the importance of not relying solely on Stokes and recognized the talent and contributions of other players in the team. He added, "He loves those situations and thrives off them. But we cannot rely on it all the time. It is important because we have other good players too."
Moeen also revealed that Stokes was dealing with a sore hip while batting. He praised Stokes' resilience, stating, "I think there is a lot more than he is showing (on Stokes' fitness)... his body has been through a lot, but one thing with Ben is he can do anything without being one hundred per cent. I think it is the situations more than anything."
Assessing the team's chances in the match, Moeen acknowledged Australia's formidable bowling attack and emphasized the need for England to perform well to secure victory.
At the end of the day's play, Australia stood at 116/4 with Mitchell Marsh (17) and Travis Head (18) at the crease. After dismissing England for 237, the visitors held a first-innings lead of 26 runs.