England ODI captain Eoin Morgan was full of praise for Moeen Ali after his man of the match performance in the 72 run win over South Africa at Headingley.
Moeen smashed 77 off 51 balls with five sixes and five fours and shared in a stand of 117 in just 13 overs with centurion Morgan.
Then the Worcestershire all-rounder picked up two wickets for 50 runs including the prized scalp of Proteas captain AB de Villiers.
It was a superb return to the England side for Moeen who did not play in the two recent internationals against Ireland.
Morgan emphasised the belief he has in the 29-year-old via his comments at the end of the first game in the best of three series ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy.
He said: "If he didn't get any runs, or had a bad day, I'd have no problem picking him again. I have that much confidence in the guy.
"He has made some huge contributions to us over the years, and the fact he missed the Ireland games but came back in and performed like this sums him up as a character. It's a huge credit to him.
"Batting at number seven is never easy. You always come in having to get on with the game or assessing the situation.
"Then with the ball I thought he was brilliant."
