England's Moeen Ali Should Look to Dilshan for ODI Inspiration

Moeen Ali comes into the upcoming Carlton Mid ODI Tri-Series in a strangely stable position in the England team. He is one of few players who appears to have secured their role within the side.

The England ODI side has gone through a chaotic period recently. The management have chopped and changed personnel and batting order at will over the last year in search of results. These results have not emerged.

However, in the midst of the gloom, Moeen has emerged as a confident and increasingly integral part of the team; as an opening batsman, spin-bowling option and as a personality.

The last outing of the 50-over side culminated in a 5-2 series defeat to Sri Lanka in December. Moeen, opening the batting alongside beleaguered then-captain Alastair Cook, scored 236 runs at an average of 33.71. He also bowled 62 overs out of a possible 70 and took five wickets.

The series was an audition for the World Cup, which immediately succeeds the Tri-Series. Moeen underlined his credentials as an opening batsman and his growing importance as a spin-bowling option. It was not an unmitigated success, but there were signs of his development as a player.

The Birmingham-born opener smashed 119 off just 87 balls in the opening match in Colombo. The array of brute force coupled with tremendous timing was an entertaining fruition of his undeniable talent. It also came after Sri Lanka's opening batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan scored 88 in the first innings.

The comparison between the two players is easy to draw. Both are classed as attacking opening batsmen, generally tasked with making the most of the Powerplay overs with aggressive stroke-making.

Both players also bowl off-spin which was initially categorised as "part-time" but has, over time, become an important weapon for their team and a crucial aspect of their appeal.

Moeen could do much worse than model his short format style on Dilshan.

The Sri Lankan veteran has played a staggering 301 matches in the format, scoring more than 9000 runs in the process. The 38-year-old has undoubtedly matured with age to become a vital part of the Sri Lankan side.

As well as performing his main role of scoring runs, Dilshan also took 12 wickets at an impressive average of 24 against England in December. Playing in spin-friendly conditions and against a struggling side perhaps, but here was evidence of the importance of adding strings to your bow.

In the seventh ODI, Dilshan scored a century before taking 3/37 to wrap up a comfortable series win. These are the kinds of performances Moeen should aspire to.

The potential is there, backed up by his temperament and willingness to learn. Moeen has worked extremely hard on his spin bowling and received coaching from his Worcestershire team-mate Saeed Ajmal last summer.

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If he can become more consistent with the bat and more dangerous with the ball, Moeen could be an England match-winner for years to come.

There is no confusion over his role in the England side ahead of the Tri-Series and the World Cup.

"We need guys in the top three who can set the standards for everyone else and be expansive and take some risks," he said, per ESPN Cricinfo. "I'd prefer to get out having a go rather than just blocking it."

As well as his refreshing attitude to batting, it is clear his bowling is no longer and undervalued attribute. "I'm going to prepare like I've got a big role to play with the ball," he told Cricinfo. 

Moeen is on the right track. He is a student of the game, and Dilshan's example will not have gone unnoticed.

All-rounders are extremely valuable assets in cricket. Moeen has the potential to emulate Dilshan's success and, over time, could help banish English ODI woes.