From being a part-time tweaker, to turning into England's mainstay - the evolution of Moeen Ali

When England's Moeen Ali burst on to the international Test scene in 2014, he was a batsman and a part-time bowler who could roll his arm when the captain needed to give his main bowlers some rest. That he bowled off-spin was just for the records as he did not have the trait of a typical conventional off-spinner.

The long-bearded Ali's bowling action wasn't attractive too. The batsmen would just rubbish him off as threat from the beginning of his run-up to landing the ball at one particular area — a little before full length around off and middle stump. His only strength was pitching it at one spot.

His first Test wicket on debut was a big one too — Kumar Sangakkara. That he would be proud of, but the manner which it came in will not expect him to boast about to the next generation. Sanga, on 147, unsuccessfully tried to cut a short ball, but edged it to wicket-keeper Matt Prior. Ali might not even have felt celebrating that.

From his one wicket on debut in 2014 to his maiden 10-wicket haul in Test cricket against South Africa in the first match earlier this Sunday that gave England a 1-0 lead, the off-spinner Ali has come a long way in Test cricket They say a cricketer needs to reinvent himself every time if he has to survive the rigours of international cricket. And the Pakistan-origin cricketer seems to have mastered the art of evolution.

If one goes into flashback to watch the highlights of his first Test, one wouldn't find Ali to be impressive. That he was mainly a batsman is a different thing. Fast forward to 2017, the first Test against South Africa at Lord's Cricket Ground, it would be unfair not to count him among the top few off-spinners in world cricket at the moment.

Obviously, India's Ravichandran Ashwin tops them all followed by Nathan Lyon of Australia while Ali can easily fit in the best three going by the dearth of off-spinning talent in the world. One can easily count the other offies on finger tips like Roston Chase (West Indies), Jeetan Patel (New Zealand) or Jayant Yadav (India).

Ali's match-winning 10-for states the fact that how he has improved and evolved as an off-spinner. From skidding the ball straight on to the bat after the release to turning the ball square on a batting friendly Lord's track, reveals his progress. Ask the likes of Hashim Amla & Co on who was the biggest threat and one would not be surprised to hear Ali from the Proteas.

The wickets — four in first innings followed by six in the next — that the offie took were all wicket-taking balls. If he bowled Amla a beautiful flight that left him bemused whether to play it on front foot or backfoot, before turning it in and trapping him leg-before wicket, he also bowled an arm-ball with a similar release that skidded to take Temba Bavuma's edge to first slip while play on the back-foot.

The Birmingham-born cricketer displayed all his off-spinning skills he has learnt in the last few years in the Test. Ali is known to be hard working individual and is most respected in the England's dressing room for his discipline and dedication. He loves his cricket but also takes his religion very seriously.

He doesn't miss his daily prayers nor his fasts in Ramzan. “I can't be at ease if I miss my prayers, but once I am done I can relax and chill out and do whatever I want,” he says in a short documentary on Ramzan. Ali says fasting helps keeping relax and focused. “A lot of it is in the mind. It is tough but rewarding. I do feel sharper in senses and much more relaxed,” he adds.

So when Ali told his teammates about fasting, he says they went into shock. “They were in shock thinking I wont be eating, hydrating. I like it and have been performing. No ones had a problem, they tried to make it easy for me by keeping food away from me,” he says.

When Ali came to India in 2016 for the ICC World Twenty20 he was still the same. Someone who relied on natural variations. He aimed to bowl like Ashwin. "I personally rely on natural variations. I bowl spin and if doesn't spin, it goes straight even though my intention is not to bowl that ball. I would love to bowl like Ashwin and hopefully, would like to have variations like him. I am trying to be there. There is no mystery ball. It's good to have variations," he had said.

Later in the same year, Ali toured India for five Tests with the England team as one of the main spinners along with leg-spinner Adil Rashid, left-arm spinners Zafar Ansari, Liam Dawson and offie Gareth Batty.

Ali, who took 19 wickets in five Tests when India toured England (hosts won 3-1) in 2014, could not replicate the success on the rank turners of India. He could manage just 10 wickets in five games as this time Virat Kohli's team beat Alastair Cook's 4-0.

Ali, now a veteran, could have exploited the spinner-friendly conditions where the ball stayed low at times. However, the off-spinner due to big turns struggled to pitch on that perfect line which Ashwin successfully did. Seven months later he was a different bowler.

In the first Test at Lord's, he destroyed the South African batting, chasing 331 to win, with a match-winning performance and ended the match in four days, folding them out for 119 in 36.4 overs. But if you are wondering that Ali now must be England's first spinner and the striker bowler you will be disappointed to know he is not.

“We’ll stick with one spinner (Liam Dawson) and one batter that bowls a little (Moeen). And that’s important for Mo more than anything. He wants to be in the team as a batter that bowls a bit so we’ve selected him as a batter and the second spinner,” said England coach Trevor Bayliss a day after the win.

Mo might have come a long way from the part-timer to one of the best off-spinners in the world, but he still has a long way to go.