WORCESTERSHIRE all-rounder Moeen Ali has said he hopes his experience of Sri Lankan conditions will help him flourish for England Lions next month.
The 26-year-old, who has recently been part of the England Performance Programme in Australia, is set to join up with the Lions in the Asian country to take part in two three-day games and three four-day matches.
Ali previously played in Sri Lanka for England Under-19s at the 2006 World Cup and for Colombo’s Moors Sports Club a couple of winters ago.
“I’ve been in Sri Lanka a few times before. I feel like I know the conditions, playing a couple of months out there in first-class cricket,” he said.
“So I’m really looking forward to it and it’s good for me because I bowl spin and hopefully it’s going to spin out there, and the wickets are quite nice to bat on.
“That’s one thing we’re preparing for really well here. We’ve done a lot of spin work and I think the guys are looking good, so we feel like we’re ready now. I’m just very excited.”
Ali’s prolific form in 2013 which saw him score more than 2,000 runs in all formats of the game has also seen him drafted into England’s provisional 30-man squad for the World T20 competition in Bangladesh in March.