Moeen Ali fined 25 per cent of match fee after spraying substance on bowling hand without umpires' consent during first Test against Australia; spinner struggling with blister on index finger; Moeen playing first Test since 2021 having come out of retirement to replace injured Jack Leach
Sunday 18 June 2023 12:35, UK
England off-spinner Moeen Ali has been fined 25 per cent of his match fee for spraying a substance on his bowling hand without the umpires' consent during the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston.
The incident happened in the 89th over of play on Saturday, which was day two of the match, with Moeen subsequently accepting the charge.
The ICC deemed that the "drying agent" Moeen applied was not used to change the condition of the ball.
The 36-year-old is playing his first Test since September 2021 after being lured out of retirement by captain Ben Stokes following the stress fracture of the back suffered by fellow spinner Jack Leach.
Moeen took 2-124 from 29 overs on day two, with Travis Head caught at short midwicket and Cameron Green bowled.
The Warwickshire player is struggling with a blister on the index finger of his bowling hand.
Moeen breached Level One of the ICC Code of Conduct, with an ICC statement reading: "Ali was found to have breached Article 2.20 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to displaying conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game.
"In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to Ali's disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period.
"The incident occurred in the 89th over of Australia's innings, when Ali sprayed a drying agent on his bowling hand at the boundary line before coming on to bowl the next over, thus defying the umpires' pre-series instructions about not using anything on their hands without prior approval.
"Ali admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Andy Pycroft of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing."
India left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja was fined earlier this year after applying a soothing cream to the index finger on his bowling hand during the Test series at home to Australia.
Sky Sports Cricket's Michael Atherton said: "[Applying the spray] shows Moeen has got real issues with that spinning finger because he hasn't been playing red-ball cricket. He is going to have a lot of bowling to do in this Test match and potentially the series.
Atherton's fellow pundit Nasser Hussain added: "It is the whole debate about the difference between white-ball and Test cricket.
"Jonny Bairstow has not kept that much and we saw the sloppiness that happens after a day in the field. Moeen hasn't bowled with a red Dukes ball for a long, long time.
"Stokes has looked stiff running in to bowl for his second and third spells. Mentally, I think they can cope, physically it's a different game."
