Moore has a shout for Ashes call (From Worcester News)

Moore has a shout for Ashes call

9:00am Monday 6th July 2009 in

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GIVEN the general form Stephen Moore has been in this season, it may seem a little folly to suggest that the Worcestershire opener could play in the Ashes series.

Yet, even though he didn’t make the England side for the first Ashes Test in Cardiff this week, the 28-year-old has already put the Australian bowlers to the sword and scored his first century of the campaign.

Up against the likes of Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and Stuart Clark, the New Road star had very few problems during the England Lions match against the Aussies at New Road.

Even though he dealt with some of the best bowlers in the world, the South Africa-born opener isn’t about to say he should be in the side ahead of England’s batsmen.

“There is still a way to go yet,” Moore said. “There are some very good guys ahead of me who are keen and raring to go for the Ashes.

“I have got full faith in those guys being the best ones for the job.

“You never know what happens, though, I’m going to keep working on my game and if anything untoward happens I’m going to make sure that I’m there and ready for the call if England need.”

Last season it looked like Moore could do no wrong when he stepped out on to the pitch in the first-class arena. He scored 1,451 runs and clocked up six centuries —until last week he hadn’t even one this year.

Recently, Moore has started to find a fraction of the form he displayed last year.

He was Worcestershire’s top-scorer in the Twenty20 Cup, even though skipper Vikram Solanki scored a century in the competition.

More importantly, he has started to come good in the first-class game.

He scored two half-centuries in the last County Championship match at New Road against Yorkshire and he followed that up with his 120 against Australia last week — his best score for England Lions.

Skipper Solanki believes that if Moore can continue from where he left off last week, then maybe he might be able to realise his dreams.

“It is not for me to say where Steve is in the England pecking order,” Solanki said. “What I can say is that he is an exceptional player and he works immensely hard on his game.

“He has a lot of desire to succeed and play at the highest level that he can and if he plays like that there is no reason why he cannot achieve those ambitions that he has.

“For the last two or three weeks he has been batting really well and he had been happy with how he has batted.

“At the start of the year I’m sure that he would have like a lot more runs, but I think that he was a little bit unlucky at times and that can happen.

“When you are out of nick, luck doesn’t seem to go with you. Recently, in our Twenty20 campaign he has brought some form and confidence into this game.”

Should not all go well in the first couple of Tests and Moore can continue from where he left off last week, then maybe that first senior England call might come.