Magnificent Moeen Ali bats away Leicestershire as he posts a classy century

It was as if Moeen Ali knew that tonight was the night. The weather? Burner. Sky Sports cameras? In place. Throw? Earned. Friday night? Check it out. End of school year too with lots of chicks dotted around Edgbaston. A new role that was developed recently meant that after electing to bat, Mo would stride to the crease to open the batting with captain Alex Davies.

Ali started as he intended to go on, with a clear drive off the first ball of the Bears’ innings. He followed it up with four more. Ali is often graceful; he can push a boundary with no problem, but he’s more Roger Federer than Rafael Nadal. Accuracy cancels out power. It’s all about timing.

The powerplay, in which Ali and Davies hit 10 boundaries and three maximums – including two huge sixes in the first, off the bowling of New Zealand international Jimmy Neesham, no less, off the last two deliveries of the powerplay – was something to see. The bears were as ruthless and contemptuous as they were entertaining.

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Moeen led the way. When Davies departed for a well-made 31, the Bears middle order rather struggled to stick with their England international, who by this stage was well into the 60s. He might not captain this side – frankly, no he needed to change his tact given Davies’ excellent leadership and success rate – but he is captain material.

He might have gone for a golden duck 24 hours earlier, but Ali made a notable contribution when he scored 59 in the Bears’ comprehensive win over Derbyshire last Sunday, so Mo wasn’t so cold. As he classily headed for three figures, you had to reflect – this was the kind of night, the kind of performance that the club moved to bring him back to Birmingham for in the first place.

Edgbaston rose to applaud Moeen as he raised his helmet and bat, and they did so again a few minutes later when he finally escaped in the dying embers of the innings as he chased several runs for team. Few can claim to have hit a century in Blast cricket in recent years – Ian Bell, Brendon McCullum, Sam Hain and Adam Hose among them – and Moeen added his name to the list with 103 from 59 balls, including seven. four and nine six.

The Bears, already through to the quarter-finals for the fourth consecutive season – winning the Northern Group on three of those occasions – and with a home tie to look forward to in September, were then immaculate on the pitch, not for first time this season. After quickly breaking the momentum generated by openers Rishi Patel and Sol Budinger, the hosts quickly asserted themselves.

Davies retained the conventional term. While many sides in T20 cricket these days often shuffle and open with spin, the ball was thrown to George Garton, Zak Foulkes and Craig Miles at the top of the chase. They all contributed, including Miles, who tempted Patel to remove and then Rehan Ahmed to point.

As mentioned, the grip was on point throughout. Dan Mousley took a stunner, as did Ed Barnard. The star of the Bears’ second half, if Mo was in the first, was undoubtedly Danny Briggs. His figures of 3-30 meant he surpassed a record held by Jeetan Patel for the most wickets claimed in the T20 Blast group stage. Some go for the most successful bowler of the competition. His delivery to clean bowler Lewis Goldsworthy was of a particularly high quality.

Every bowler from Jake Lintott to Jacob Bethell who bowled claimed a wicket in another successful night under the lights, one where the Bears confirmed their status as the best in the north. However, after falling in the knockout stages in each of the last three seasons, a familiar challenge awaits – one that this team looks increasingly ready to finally overcome.