London, Feb 24 : England cricket team captain Eoin Morgan has claimed that he would never underestimate batting all-rounder Moeen Ali, who is improving at a rapid rate with both bat and ball, as a player.

Morgan hailed the contribution of the left-hander after Ali smashed a brilliant century, finishing on 128, and then took two wickets with the ball in his side's 119-run win over Scotland, their first of the ongoing 2015 World Cup.

England's much-needed win came on the back of two heavy defeats by Australia and New Zealand in the World Cup, the Daily Express reported.

England would now face Sri Lanka in Wellington on Sunday, and they need to keep their winning momentum going if they want to avoid an early exit in the tournament.

Ali, in particular, was in good form following up his batting with a tidy performance with the ball in which he claimed two wickets for 47 runs.

The skipper lauded Ali's antiques with both the ball and the bat. He said that Ali was striking the ball as well as he has done with the bat, but added that they are very privileged to have him as an all rounder who opens the batting and then puts some real purchase on the ball.

Morgan claimed that they would definitely never underestimate Ali as a player, adding that they know how good the all-rounder can be. (ANI)