Moeen Ali admits his poor Ashes form left him questioning his own ability.

The 30-year-old all-rounder featured in the one-day international victory over Australia on Sunday, which followed a miserable Test series for England and Moeen personally.

Jason Roy was the headline act in the ODI success at the MCG, setting a new English record with a storming 180 as they chased down 305.

Moeen’s contribution was less glamorous, though on an evening where more than 600 runs were scored his 10-over stint of one for 39 made him the cheapest bowler from either side, and by a distance.

Roy’s exploits meant the all-rounder was only required right at the end of the chase but he maximised his moment in the middle, stroking Travis Head for the match-winning boundary.

One promising white-ball outing is hardly likely to erase 25 days of torment in the Tests, during which he averaged 119 with his off-spin and 19.88 with the bat, but the healing has begun.

“It’s great to be 1-0 up – it has been difficult. A very tough tour,” he said.

Moeen Ali, left, was part of England's line-up which beat Australia in the opening ODI
Moeen Ali, left, was part of England’s line-up which beat Australia in the opening ODI (Andy Brownbill/AP)

“I feel I did not perform (in the Ashes). When you lose a bit of confidence in your own game sometimes you try harder and it can be that the harder you try the worse it gets.

“It’s pretty difficult to get away from it and you start doubting yourself as a player. But the thing that you have to realise is that bad performances don’t make you a bad player. So you just have to somehow believe in yourself and keep trying to get back to where you know you can be.

“It was nice to move to a different format of the game because the pressure was less, if that makes sense. My confidence has gone up a little bit and hopefully it can keep climbing.”

Moeen’s apparent comfort in the colours of England’s one-day side, contrasted to the angst he felt while donning the Test whites in recent months, appears important.

"I didn’t know what I was doing. I wanted to hug the umpire, I wanted to hug everyone!"

Posted by England Cricket on Sunday, January 14, 2018

While England remain infuriatingly inconsistent in the longer format, losing 18 and winning 15 of Trevor Bayliss’ 38 games as head coach, their growth in 50 and 20-over cricket has been undeniable.

In ODIs they have gone from staid also-rans to number two in the world and a side Australia captain Steve Smith cheerfully cites as an inspiration.

“It just feels like we can genuinely beat anybody anywhere,” explained Moeen.

“The attitude is obviously different because it’s a different sort of cricket, it’s been refreshing. (Australia) were too good for us in the Ashes whereas in the one-day stuff we have players who can break records, as we saw.

“It’s fun. It’s a great environment to be around.”

Jason Roy was the star with the bat for England
Jason Roy was the star with the bat for England (Andy Brownbill/AP)

Moeen, like many of the current squad, has put his name forward for this month’s Indian Premier League auction.

With 26 Englishmen in the mix and the England and Wales Cricket Board agreeing longer windows of availability than ever before, it promises be the most Anglophile IPL yet.

“It’s a good opportunity to play with other players from around the world and learn from them,” Moeen said.

“I just want to experience it and improve my cricket.”