Moeen Ali: Ben Stokes offers so much even when he's not scoring runs

England's Test skipper has struggled for runs in his first T20s since July 2021 but has impressed with the ball and in the field against Australia

Moeen Ali has backed Ben Stokes to perform for England at the 2022 T20 World Cup.

The Test skipper's most recent T20 outing prior to arriving in the southern hemisphere came back in July 2021 and he has struggled with the bat in the first two T20Is against Australia, scoring 9 (9) in Perth and 7 (11) in Canberra.

Head coach Matthew Mott, however, has backed Stokes to bat at No.4 while Moeen, the vice-captain, believes his value to the side extends beyond simply scoring runs.

"I think when the big games come he'll score runs and that's what you want from your gun players," Moeen said.

"Ben offers so much even if he's not scoring runs – he opened the bowling, bowled really well and was brilliant in the field. That effort [to save four runs] was amazing.

^{Stokes has struggled for runs in Australia, scoring 16 across the first two T20Is [Mark Evans/Getty Images]}

"I don't care if Ben doesn't score any runs in the next couple of games because once the World Cup comes I'm sure he'll be fine. Even if he doesn't score runs he's a great player to have in your team."

Stokes opened the bowling in Canberra, returning figures of 1 for 10 from two overs – including the crucial wicket of Mitchell Marsh, as well as producing an athletic fielding performance on the boundary. In Perth, he conceded 18 runs from two overs.

Over the course of his T20I career, he has picked up 20 wickets in 30 innings and recorded an economy of 8.69.

"Why did Stokes take the new ball? Why not?" Moeen continued. "He bowls well, he's a top Test bowler, swings it both ways, has good pace, if you can get an over out of him early why not do it? I thought he bowled really well with that new ball and he was brilliant."