Moeen Ali to bring back doosra

Since appearing on the cover of Wisden, Test cricket has been rather less kind to Moeen Ali than during his remarkable breakthrough summer. Last year, he first sent down a doosra during the Headingley Test against Sri Lanka. The delivery was subsequently put away during a widespread clampdown on illegal actions but now Moeen plans to unleash the doosra once more in the NatWest T20 Blast.

"I'm hoping to bowl a couple in the T20s for a bit of fun really," Moeen said. "I've worked so hard on it over the years but I don't really bowl it much."

In Twirlymen: The Unlikely History of Cricket's Greatest Spin Bowlers, Amol Rajan likens the doosra to a "hallucinogenic drug". He writes: "Muralitharan aside, every single international bowler who has practised endlessly to master this delivery has rightfully had his action questioned, or has lost his stock ball altogether, or both."

Moeen evidently does not agree. "A lot of guys I've bowled it to and who've seen it say that it is fine," he said, unconcerned that the delivery could fall foul of the ICC's recent clampdown on throwing.

A month before an Ashes series was traditionally the time when Shane Warne would announce that he would be unveiling a new delivery on England. Moeen is not a cricketer associated with such bluster, and admits his doosra might not be spotted in a Test this summer. "I don't think I'll bowl it in the Ashes."

But Moeen does hope to have his stock offspin back in sound working order before the 1st Test on July 8. His offspin lacked consistency and bite during England's Tests against the West Indies and New Zealand.

"The belief is still there although maybe the confidence has been knocked a bit," he said. "I do feel like I have the potential to be a good spinner, or a decent spinner because I feel like the ball comes out nice out of my hand, and the shape and everything is all good. But there's just maybe one or two things that I need to really get consistent in my action." He cites a tendency to fall away slightly in his delivery stride.

Moeen's mentality remains that of a batsman rather than the role he now occupies in England's Test side. "I think people forget that I am a batsman. I always see myself as a batter still who can bowl," he said. "The thing with my batting is I know exactly when things aren't going so well I need to go to my go-to areas. With the bowling it's not actually quite there yet."

Moving two places down England's Test batting order to No. 8 has not been an enjoyable experience. "It's tough. When the guys below me come in I have to try and bat more positively and it's not always easy if you're not in." Moeen has discussed the art of batting with the tail with Joe Root and Jos Buttler.

Batting at No. 8 puts more onus on Moeen's offspin. The burden has not appeared to sit easily so far in 2015, with four Tests bringing 11 wickets at 41.63, and an economy rate of 3.77 per over. His performance in the Headingley Test, when he recorded match figures of 1 for 121, was particularly disappointing.

Moeen admits he "struggled" battling the wind and cold. "I couldn't feel my fingers for the first few overs," he said. "I had a few catches dropped which could have turned things. But I still don't think I bowled very well."

But he has not been surprised by the challenges that recent Tests have posed. "I knew there would be bumps in my development," he said. "I haven't got a lot of experience as a front line bowler - I don't feel like I have a lot of experience. Everytime I bowl I feel like I am learning a lot about my bowling. I just need to get more consistent about my action - just keep bowling and hopefully do what I did last year."

A desire to give Moeen more bowling with the red ball is behind England's decision not to select him for the ODI squad against New Zealand, with the selectors making clear that Moeen had not been dropped. While he "would have loved to be in the one day side", Moeen accepts the logic.

"Maybe it is a good thing in a way in the long run to get some bowling under my belt," he said. "I've been told to go and get ready for the Ashes and hopefully get some overs and wickets under my belt so that's all I'm going to do." But there could be a complication. "It might be a bit difficult with Saeed Ajmal in the side as well. Though it has "been talked about" to give him more bowling than when he has played alongside Ajmal in the past.

Still, Moeen should benefit from Ajmal's wisdom. "I work things out myself," he said. "If I get too much information I sort of confuse myself so in a way I'm glad I can just get on with it and bowl and have Saeed to talk to. I talk to him a lot more about the mentality side of things."

Moeen Ali was speaking at the launch of the Royal London Gilbert Cup, a new grassroots under-11 cricket tournament. cccwww.royallondoncricket.com