Alan Richardson has revealed the pride he felt at seeing first hand the match-winning performances and captaincy of Worcestershire Rapids Vitality Blast skipper Moeen Ali when on England T20I duty in the West Indies.

Worcestershire Assistant Coach Richardson was England’s Bowling Coach for the five game series in the Caribbean and he witnessed some superb contributions from Moeen who led his country for the final three matches in Bridgetown.

He counts himself fortunate to have seen Moeen evolve into the performer he is today, firstly as a bowler during four prolific seasons at New Road from 2010-2013 and latterly as part of the Worcestershire coaching set-up.

Richardson says having Moeen available for a sizeable chunk of this summer’s Blast – England commitments permitting – will excite members, supporters and players.

He said: “Mo had literally 20 minutes notice for the first game he captained but he just took it in his stride as he always does.

"The guys responded to him very well. He is very calm, gives the lads a lot of confidence and plays cricket in the right way.

"He really enjoyed those opportunities, and he played exceptionally well in a couple of games, and was a match winner for England.

"I was very proud to be part and parcel of watching that more than anything, to watch Mo go out and enjoy his cricket and play at such a high level.

"I was part of the Worcestershire side when he first captained in 2011 against Warwickshire at Edgbaston, and he has come a long way since there.

"He has experienced a lot now when it comes to cricket, experienced a lot of different kinds of leadership, and he has got his own way of doing it which is a really good way."

Richardson was delighted to receive further international recognition after a spell working with England last summer and says it can only help him to evolve as a coach.

He said: "I’m still quite young in my coaching career and to have that opportunity, be in that environment, working with those coaches and the support staff and the players in an international environment, is a huge development for me.

"I see it as an opportunity for me to keep working at trying to get better at being a coach and to have that opportunity was amazing."