Ali upbeat about England hopes

England's form going into their World Twenty20 opener against New Zealand may leave plenty to be desired, but newcomer Moeen Ali is relishing his first taste of international cricket.

The Worcestershire batsman, who prefers to be known as an all-rounder due to his tidy off-spinners, has been one of county cricket's most prolific scorers in the last couple of seasons.

He was a beneficiary of England's post-Ashes review, and not least Kevin Pietersen's controversial sacking, earning a call-up for this month's tournament in Bangladesh and, with it, a place on the preceding tour of West Indies.

He has tasted victory just once in his four outings to date, the five-run one-day international win in Barbados, and featured in both of England's Twenty20 warm-up defeats against West Indies and India.

But while England may be at a low ebb heading into Saturday's Group 1 against New Zealand, the 26-year-old is in upbeat mood.

"This is the top level and I've wanted to play at this level a long time. I'm enjoying it a lot and I'm just trying to make the most of it," he said.

Captain Stuart Broad's knee injury has restricted him to only two overs since arriving in Bangladesh, at least half of the likely starting XI appear distinctly out of form and scoring quickly off spin bowling remains an unsolved conundrum.

The signs are that Broad will be ready to lead the side against New Zealand on Saturday and play a full part in the tournament.