Ali and Finn to miss two England tour matches

PERTH: Moeen Ali and Steven Finn will miss the first two tour matches of England’s Ashes campaign due to injury, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced on Friday. All-rounder Ali is nursing a side strain, while fast bowler Finn injured his left knee while batting in training on Thursday. The pair will miss England’s opening match against a Western Australia XI at the WACA in Perth, starting on Saturday, and the four-day match against a Cricket Australia XI in Adelaide starting on November 8. “Finn will be monitored by the England medical department over the next seven days and a further decision on his fitness will be made at that time,” the ECB said.

The idiom embarrassment of riches has been used millions of times to describe the quality of Indian batting.

But in the current scenario it won’t look like a misfit if it’s used for the bowlers as well. Such is the depth in the bowling department – be it pace or spin – that selectors will have to make some tough choices in future.

When Virat Kohli & Co looks to seal the T20 series against New Zealand here on Saturday, the focus will be as much on the exploits of the batters as on the bowlers.

While in the first match of the series Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma hogged the limelight, the bowlers slipped under the radar despite the shutout of the Black Caps, recording a convincing 53-run win in Delhi.

From Jasprit Bumrah to Yuzvendra Chahal, all have grabbed the opportunities with both hands. Bumrah and Chahal bowled crucial spells in the last ODI in Kanpur to help India clinch the series.

Kuldeep Yadav has impressed whenever he has got the ball, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s emergence as a limited-overs bowler continues and Axar Patel too has found his rhythm given a steady run.

DEPTH IN BOWLING

With the 2019 World Cup around 18 months away, the Indian think tank’s decision to give potential suitors an opportunity to prove their worth is bearing fruit. While in the batting department a couple of middle-order slots are still up for grabs, the bowling coffers look full to the brim.

Sitting on the sidelines are Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, all of whom boast of a good record in the shorter versions.

Left-arm spinner Patel, who played his part in a comfortable win in the first T20 on Wednesday, feels skipper Kohli is show-