Moeen Ali proves to be England's ultimate power play

NICK HOWSON: In a format about matchups and moments, Eoin Morgan deployed his fifth bowler in the first seven overs and from that moment an opening win was all but assured

Go walk the dog. Do the washing up. Pay the taxes. Finish that puzzle.

If you happened to have turned on for this Super 12s match after the seventh over, you'd have been well advised to turn your attention elsewhere.

Not because this men's T20 World Cup match wasn't deserving of your attention. But we have a long three-and-a-bit weeks ahead. And there will be better and more competitive games than this.

This much-hyped re-run of the 2016 final promised much but delivered nothing like the excitement we had in a single delivery in Kolkata five years ago. You'll find more drama in an episode of Tipping Point.

For that, we have to blame a clinical England, who out-thought and out-executed West Indies, nailed their strategy and had two points in their back pocket well before tea time in the UK.

You actually wonder what they could have done to improve on this. In the field, very little.

The threats posed by the Windies are, if nothing else, pretty clear. They're either extremely watchful or devastating and possess a heavy left-handed line-up that matched up well against Adil Rashid.

Much was made of Eoin Morgan suggesting he would drop himself for the good of the team but while making those comments also felt confident of his captaincy form. He had just led Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL final after all.

^{Eoin Morgan got his tactics spot on}

And so it proved in Dubai. Morgan's barren run with the bat may continue but if he sets England up like he did in this opening game then there can be no doubts over his place.

In a format that is about matchups and moments, Morgan was word perfect. Moeen Ali was handed the first over for just the eighth time in T20Is, putting him up against first Lendl Simmons and getting him to whack towards the long boundary, resulting in a first wicket-maiden in the format.

Just 19 runs and two wickets from the first four overs meant Ali could continue. The key was the flat delivery which skidded on and did for Shimron Hetmyer, who was perhaps the only better to get his eye in.

A quarter of the way through the innings the Windies were three down, with Tymal Mills, Chris Jordan and Rashid still in Morgan's back pocket. He had a pair before seeing the flop.

Mo came back for the final over of his allocation in the seventh, the first time he'd been bowled out off the bat, and finished with career-best analysis (2 for 17). West Indies were 33 for 4 and required a rebuild this line-up, for all their experience, really isn't cut out to construct.

Rashid finished with the eye-catching figures of 4 for 2 as he threw open the box of tricks, but he was given license by the hard work England had put in during the first six. On another day we're talking about the delivery which got Andre Russell first up, a beauty which slid on and through the gate.

^{West Indies' batters continually fell into the trap}

What followed was a procession, partly because of the West Indies preferring a quick death, but also due to England firing on all cylinders. Mills could ease his way back into international cricket, Jordan collected his customary wicket and Chris Woakes got the party started.

While the defending champions were forced to deploy their finishers and lower order against England's front-line attack, they executed poorly throughout and showed little desire for a fight. They seemed to be eyeing their next game (against South Africa on Tuesday, October 26) before their opponents were.

The main triumphs might have been above him, but Moeen deserves credit for a stellar bowling performance. You can crunch the numbers all you like but if you don't turn up the spreadsheets are obsolete. 

This is a talent mismanaged by England across all formats. He went two years without a Test outing, he was dropped from the World Cup-winning XI in 2019, went 10 T20Is without playing and never featured in India. Meanwhile, he was a key figure at Chennai Super Kings. It has never quite added up.

Akeal Hosein producing the highlight of the contest re-emphasises the point. These are a collection of cricketers capable of spectacular moments but they are still fallible when matches are played on these terms.

England attention to the little details was highlighted by Jonny Bairstow coming to the crease to help bolster the net run rate, which could prove crucial with only two to progress to the semi-finals from six. Dawid Malan needs time at the crease, but he'll get opportunities later down the line.

It was a decision indicative of the entire contest: a battle of instinct against planning won in emphatic fashion.

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