Exposed Moeen under the pump
NATHAN Lyon’s bunny Moeen Ali faces the axe as England’s selectors mull how to piece together a team capable of squaring the Ashes series at Lord’s.
Joe Root defended the selection of an underdone Jimmy Anderson, who reinjured his right calf after four overs on day one, and promised selectors will “not make too many emotional decisions” in the aftermath of a “frustrating” defeat at Edgbaston.
One-day opener Jason Roy’s ungainly dismissal to Lyon, in which he was clean bowled after skipping down the pitch, would have done little to convince selectors he can successfully make the leap to the longest format.
England’s attack will need to be rejigged if Anderson misses the second Test, as expected.
Jofra Archer is likely to be promoted at Anderson’s expense, though selectors will be keen to see how the would-be Test debutant pulls up after rolling his arm over in a red-ball comeback with Sussex’s second XI.
Moeen, whose struggles on day four were made to look even poorer by the way Lyon spun Australia to victory on Monday, may also make way for left-arm tweaker Jack Leach in the Lord’s match.
When pressed on Moeen, Root failed to guarantee the off-spinning all-rounder will face Australia next week.
“Moeen didn’t have his best day yesterday,” Root said. “You’ve got to remember how threatening he can be and what an asset he has been to this team in the past. Whenever written off before, he generally comes back stronger. Especially in English conditions. He’ll be a bit disappointed ... but I’m sure he’ll dust himself down and make sure he’s in a good headspace going into Lord’s.”
Moeen struggled with bat and ball in his home town of Birmingham, twice falling to Lyon while recording match figures of 3-172.
Meanwhile, Root insisted he had no regrets about 37-year-old Anderson making his comeback from a calf injury in such a high-stakes contest.
“No. Not at all, he passed every medical testing,” Root said. “He was fit to play. It’s one of those freak scenarios ... it’s the same calf, we’re not sure whether it’s a slightly different injury. It’s an easy thing to look back on and say we’d have done things differently, [but] it was a unanimous decision for him to play.”