Former England captain Nasser Hussain admitted that off-spin all-rounder Moeen Ali coming out of Test retirement to replace an injured Jack Leach in the Ashes squad for first two matches is a “little bit of kick in the teeth to the other spinners who have been playing in the county cricket” .
Moeen had retired from Test cricket in 2021, scoring 2,914 runs and taking 195 wickets in 64 matches. But he has come out of the red-ball retirement to play in the upcoming Ashes after left-arm spinner Leach was ruled out of the five-match series due to a stress fracture of the lower back.
“In the last couple of years of his Test match career, his average was absolutely fine – he’s a very, very good cricketer. There are worries that he’s not played a lot of first-class cricket. He didn’t even bowl that much in the IPL – he’s been playing a lot of white-ball cricket but mainly as a batter who has bowled a little bit,” Hussain was quoted as saying by Sky Sports News.
Moeen has a poor Test record against Australia with the ball, averaging 64.65 while picking 20 wickets in 11 matches, and averages 25.05 while making 476 runs.
The off-spinner will turn 36 during the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston starting from June 16, going past other candidates like Will Jacks, Rehan Ahmed, and Liam Dawson.
“So, it is a little bit concerning, it is a little bit of a kick in the teeth to some of the other spinners playing county cricket, but this is the Ashes, and you do what’s best to win the five Test matches. He’s going back to Edgbaston, a ground he knows well, he loves, and that crowd will get right behind him if he plays,” added Hussain.
Earlier, Moeen was reached out for a Test comeback by head coach Brendon McCullum ahead of the tour of Pakistan, which England won 3-0, but he chose not to come out of retirement.
“It is a blow for Jack Leach and probably a blow for Rehan Ahmed as well; he got five-for on debut in Pakistan, but I think they just want a more experienced spinner, someone who can give them control in the first innings and bowls some quality spin in the second,” Hussain concluded.
Australia haven’t won an Ashes series in England since 2001 and will be aiming to do so in 2023 after the last series in 2019 ended in a draw. England have won 11 of 13 Tests under coach-captain duo of McCullum and Ben Stokes.
After Edgbaston hosts the first Ashes Test from June 16-20, the rest of the games will take place at Lord’s (June 28-July 2), Headingley (July 6-10), Old Trafford (July 19-23) and The Oval (July 27-31).
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