Sunday 3 May 2015 11:36, UK
Moeen Ali says England will pull no punches in the third Test and makes his Mayweather-Pacquiao prediction...
It was an amazing feeling to win the second Test in the way that we did.
Sometimes you get more satisfaction from a victory you’ve had to graft extra hard for than a clear-cut, convincing win and that was definitely the case in Grenada.
The players were all frustrated that we didn’t win the first Test so we were determined to take the eight wickets we needed on the final day to finish the job.
The night before we felt that we were bowling the right line (even if the West Indies were 202-2 at the close) and with the new ball around the corner we felt we would get rewarded at some stage if we stayed patient.
We turned up at the ground believing we were going to win and typically Jimmy produced a magnificent spell on what was a flat pitch.
His efforts lifted everyone and we duly got our reward; it’s a huge confidence boost and the mood in the camp is very upbeat ahead of this third Test.
Discipline
We had two days off after the Test during which time I managed to get some boxing training in on the beach.
As I didn’t play in any of the warm-up games or the first Test I thought it would be a good opportunity to work on my fitness and conditioning.
I like my boxing – it’s something I’ve always had an interest in since I was a kid; I’ve always enjoyed punching the bags so I’m looking forward to the big fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
It’s great for discipline and fitness, especially for somebody like me who doesn’t really like to do weights or too much running!
It was nice to get into the spirit of the Mayweather-Pacquiao occasion even if my sole focus will be on the Test once it begins. I’ve asked my brothers to record the fight for me though, so I can watch it when I get back.
There’s plenty of debate in the squad about who is going to win and personally, I think it will be a good fight.
I’m hoping for a surprise Pacquiao win but a lot of the guys are tipping Mayweather and I reckon he might knock Pacquiao out in round four.
I know Mayweather can come across as a bit arrogant but I like the way he focuses on the job when fight time comes; he always looks like he’s ready and in the zone. He has his critics but in pure boxing terms he’s an amazing fighter.
But I’d like to see Pacquiao give a good account of himself; I’m a big fan of his trainer, Freddie Roach and he always talks and carries himself well.
Humour
During the Test the on-field ‘sparring’ between Ben Stokes and Marlon Samuels got a lot of coverage and I can understand why – that’s definitely the first time I’ve seen someone get saluted off the pitch!
Marlon got Stokesy going and vice versa and I think it’s good that you can still have a bit of fun playing cricket without overstepping the line. I wouldn’t like to see that go out of the window.
So long as the guys are behaving on the pitch and doing the right thing I don’t see it as a problem at all. There’s always room for humour in the right circumstances.
Joe Root – for one – is always up for a bit of a laugh off the pitch; he likes a joke but then he is quite serious when he needs to be.
Joe’s in unbelievable form at the moment – the form of his life you might say – and long may it continue because he deserves it.
He’s such a good guy to be around – even if he does middle everything, even in the nets! I know he’s going to be a legend for England.
The pitch here looks very similar to the one we played on in Grenada so Joe should feel right at home! There’s no grass on it and I think this one might break up a little bit more.
Mind you I’ve never been that good at reading pitches so, as ever, I’ll prepare thoroughly and make sure that I do the best I can.
Watch the third Test between West Indies and England live on Sky Sports 2 from 2.30pm on Tuesday.
