WORCESTERSHIRE’S star all-rounder Moeen Ali has said he remains committed to the club he loves despite making the step up to international cricket.
The 26-year-old, who was part of England’s Twenty20 World Cup campaign in Bangladesh last month, jetted back to the county last week and stepped straight into the side for the season opener at Hampshire.
Despite Worcestershire playing in Division Two, Ali said he was happy to remain at New Road.
“I love playing for Worcestershire and even if they’re in Division Two, to me it doesn’t matter,” he said.
“If I have to score more runs than everybody else then I’ll try and do that, which I did last year.
“For me it’s the opportunity of playing every game and doing well. As long as I’m happy it can only be good for my cricket.
“That’s one of the main reasons, Worcestershire makes me feel happy.”
While Ali said he still saw himself as a Worcestershire player, he wanted to remain part of the England fold for the foreseeable future.
And he said he felt comfortable in his first taste of international cricket in the winter.
“I’d like to be an England player for a long time so hopefully in a year’s time you’ll be calling me an England player again,” he added.
“I felt alright, I felt comfortable, I didn’t feel the bowling was too good (for me).
“The guys made me feel comfortable and I think the environment made me feel like I was ready to go out and play.
“I felt like I could cope with everything that was thrown at me. It was different, I think in my first three games I only got three driveable balls. You’ve got to make a few shots up.”
But Ali said he knew he needed to perform in a county shirt to make the Test selectors take note.
“Test cricket is something I really want to play,” he said.
“I really enjoy the 50-over stuff as I can take my time batting but Test cricket is where the real test is and that’s where I want to push myself the most, so I want to do well for Worcestershire and then hope I can get in.
“I feel I can get better in my batting, be more patient, there are certain shots I can improve as well as my bowling, fielding and fitness. At the moment I’m happy with where my game is but I can push my game more.
“I think playing for England has made me realise how much further I need to go to be a good England player rather than just play a few games and that’s my aim.”