England all-rounder Moeen Ali has been drafted in the side for the second Test at Lord’s, starting Thursday. The recall is a result of England’s struggles with team balance in the Nottingham Test, where they did not field a spinner. Ali joined the team on Tuesday and is all set to play the second game.
With Ben Stokes taking a break from cricket and Chris Woakes being unavailable for the first two games due to an injury, England needed a spin all-rounder to balance the team.
This will be Moeen’s first Test at home since the 2019 Ashes opener at Edgbaston, after which he took an indefinite break from Test cricket. His last appearance in the longest format was against India, earlier this year in the second Test in Chennai. Moeen picked eight scalps in the Test but returned back home as a part of England’s rotation policy.
Moeen has only played one first-class match in the last two years, but he’s in sublime form in the limited overs cricket. A night before his recall, he smashed a fifty off 23 deliveries for Birmingham Phoenix and was the second joint highest run-scorer in The Hundred.
When asked about the prospect of an England Test return after Phoenix’s massive 93-run victory on Monday, Moeen stated to BBC:
“Of course if you get the call-up, then playing for England is the highest thing you can get. If I get the call then I’ll be available. It’s a win-win for me, things are going really well for me here and the team.”
In his Test career, Moeen has picked 189 wickets in 61 games at an average of 36.24. He has a special liking for India, against whom he has an outstanding record. The off-spinner has 49 wickets against India at an average of 31.91. His numbers against them on the home soil are even better, with 33 wickets at 22.22 runs per wicket, including a nine-wicket haul at Ageas Bowl in 2018.
Moeen also has five Test centuries, but the last one came way back in 2016, against none other than India. His last knock in the longest format was him smashing 43 off 18 balls in England’s defeat at Chennai.
