Moeen Ali unlikley to bowl in second Ashes Test in Adelaide
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Moeen Ali’s finger injury during the first Ashes Test may not allow him to bowl in the day-night Test in Adelaide, Joe Root revealed on Friday. While not ruling out a debut for leg-spinner Mason Crane, Root stated that Moeen may play as a pure batsman, which will be subject to his fitness.
Moeen remained ineffective in the first match after cutting his finger within his first few overs in Brisbane. He had also bowled very little in the warm-up games due to a side strain and in the first Test, with a ball just eight-over old, he found the Kookaburra seam quickly that left him with a cut. Though he played down the extent of the problem after the game, he now seems to be struggling with it ahead of the second Test.
However, Moeen will have a long bowl in training today with the England management and medical team monitoring how his finger reacts before finalizing his place in the Playing XI. England
"At the end of practice, we'll have a clear indication if he'll be fit to bowl throughout the game. If there's any more damage to it then we'll have to make a decision,” Root said in the pre-match press conference, reported AFP.
"His batting has been a huge part of this team for a long time now, so I think he would still play as a batter."
In all probability, England will go with four seamers for the match keeping the current overcast conditions in Adelaide in mind. But, Root didn’t rule out the chances of legspinner Mason Crane making a debut tomorrow.
"It's definitely not out of the question. It's important we take everything into consideration at the end of practice. We'll look at Moeen, see how bad his finger is and look at the conditions."
