Moeen Ali and I encourage each other: Adil Rashid

Mumbai,12  March। England leg-spinner Adil Rashid on Saturday said he and team-mate off-spinner Moeen Ali encourage each other and can turn out to be a good spin bowling pair in days to come.

England produced an impressive all-round performance to outclass New Zealand by six wickets in their warm-up match ahead of the World Twenty20 cricket tournament at the Wankhede Stadium here on Saturday.

"Moeen and I encourage each other very well. I hope we two can grow as spinners and be a good bowling pair soon," Rashid said at the post-match press conference here.

Batting first, skipper Kane Williamson struck a quick fire half-century as New Zealand posted 169/8 in 20 overs. Rashid (3-15) was the pick of the England bowlers.

In reply, openers Jason Roy (55) and Alex Hales (44) used their skills to good effect as England chased down the total with ease, scoring 170/4 in 19.2 overs.

The 28-year-old said that the win was much needed and the team looks balanced.

“It was a good workout. We will aim to win all matches. These are different conditions. Today we also batted well, Jason was good with the bat, he is an explosive batsman,” Rashid said.

On the other hand, Kiwi spinner Mitchell Santner (2/24), who starred with the ball, pointed out that a score of 170 could have been good for them.

“England played very well. I think 170 could have been good for us. England is known to play aggressive brand of cricket,” Santner said at the post-match press conference here.

The Kiwi believes that there were a few areas that need improvement before their match against India in Nagpur on March 15.

“There are a few areas that we need improvement ahead of India game. But I am happy with our performance,” Santner concluded.

Agency