Worcestershire offer to make Moeen Ali opener

Worcestershire will move Moeen Ali to the top of their batting order if England ask them to.

Moeen batted down at No 8 during the Ashes, and was England's third highest scorer behind Joe Root and Alastair Cook, with 293 runs at 36.62.

Opener Adam Lyth had a poor series - scoring just 115 runs at 12.77 - and England's selectors may now look elsewhere to find a partner for skipper Cook.

Moeen is one option for the forthcoming series with Pakistan in the UAE. He bats at No 3 for Worcestershire, but opens in one-day cricket for them.

Worcestershire boss Steve Rhodes told the Worcester news: "There is talk in the media that England may try and open the batting with him in Dubai against Pakistan.

"If that is the case, it seems logical that maybe we can help that out. If England requested him to open the batting, then we can accommodate that."

Moeen has admitted he would love a shot at partnering Cook.  He wrote in his ECB blog: "I would love to be batting back up the order, because coming in at No 8 it was already 80-6 or something like that.

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"Before the series I thought to myself that the best thing I could do was be consistent and hopefully push myself up. I feel I've done that and I was last man out in both innings at the Oval.

"I certainly wouldn't mind opening, in Tests as well as white-ball cricket, even though I've never done it in first-class cricket. I have in the second team as well as in one-day stuff with Worcestershire and England.

"But I feel a bit bad talking about that because of Adam Lyth. It's probably the hardest job in cricket, opening the batting, especially in the Ashes."