Steve Finn and Moeen Ali ruled out of tour match after training injuries
England Cricket Board has confirmed that paceman Steve Finn and all-rounder Moeen Ali have been ruled out of England's first two practice matches in Australia ahead of the Ashes. Finn has hurt his left knee while batting during a net session in Perth and Moeen continued to nurse his side strain.
After injuring his knee, Finn failed to recover in time for the practice on Friday while Moeen, also didn't join the rest of the England squad for their training to nurse his side strain.
Their injuries mean that the duo will now miss two practice games which start on November 4. In the first practice game, they play against West Australia XI and the second game will be played against Cricket Australia XI starting November 8.
Moeen’s injury raised question over his availability for the Ashes as the tournament is just three weeks away. If he failed to recover from the illness then England's slow-bowling department will have a major concern as they have only an uncapped leg-spinner Mason Crane in the squad.
For Finn, it is a huge setback as he was included in the squad after allrounder Ben Stokes being provisionally suspended over a nightclub incident in Bristol. He also had stated that he hoped the Ashes would revive his fragile career, having not played Test cricket for over 12 months.