Ali is delighted to be back taking wickets for England and admits that he needed a rest after struggling with bat and ball in the Ashes

“It’s all part of the grand plan. I knew I needed a break from Test cricket at the end of the winter. I might have played at Lord’s as a comeback but the weather cut the game down to four days, and [Chris] Woakes played instead and got a hundred. When I did come back, it could not have gone any better. I believe that God is the best of planners.”

Sitting in the late summer sunshine at the Kia Oval, four days after his man-of-the-match performance on his return to the side that helped to complete a series win at the Ageas Bowl against the world’s No 1-ranked side, Moeen Ali is reflecting on faith, family and cricket. In that order. For Ali, cricket