Moeen Ali put in an inconclusive audition as a prospective Test opener on the first morning of England's two-day warm-up match against Pakistan A. England's Plan A, based on selection here, appears to favour Moeen over Alex Hales as Alastair Cook's new partner for the forthcoming three-Test series. But a patchy 22, before a mis-pull at Zia-ul-Haq on a slow-motion surface in Sharjah, left England surely requiring more evidence about Moeen's suitability for the task ahead.