CAN MOEEN GET A GAME?

England’s missing man left in limbo again

England will today consider the evidence of the Pune pitch before deciding whether the plot will thicken in the curious case of the missing Moeen ali.

an all-rounder who was once an England staple across all formats has not been seen since the confusion over his ‘choosing’ to go home after the second Test against India, to stay fresh for a Twenty20 series he then failed to appear in.

and Moeen was forced to wait yesterday by England captain Eoin Morgan before being told if he will appear in the first of three one-day internationals that conclude his highly forgettable tour.

‘ We see the 50- over format between the two T20 World Cups as a building block for our squad,’ said Morgan.

‘That’s not compromising performance because we have a lot of depth outside our first XI. given there’s a T20 World Cup round the corner this is a huge opportunity for those on the fringes.’

But the England captain simply replied ‘no’ when asked if he could confirm whether Moeen will definitely be among those given a chance.

‘I know he hasn’t played so far,’ conceded Morgan. ‘But that has been circumstantial. The pitches we played on during the T20 series just didn’t turn and that limits a finger spinner’s contribution.’

That was ahmedabad, but England have moved on to Pune. Is there more encouragement for Moeen now?

‘Historically Pune has not been a turner,’ cautioned Morgan. ‘It is a high-scoring ground.’

So while it seems certain Sam Billings and Reece Topley — and possibly liam livingstone — will be given a chance against India today in a side shorn of Joe Root, Jofra archer and Chris Woakes, Moeen was again left in limbo.

With adil Rashid now indisputably the top spinner, Moeen will only play in white-ball cricket, it seems, if conditions dictate.

Morgan insists the 33-year- old remains upbeat, near the end of a winter’s touring that has seen him test positive for Covid in Sri lanka and play just one Test in India.

‘He takes these things in his stride,’ said Morgan. ‘The little period Mo spent at home did him the world of good.

‘He has come back refreshed. He is a relaxed guy who always has a good perspective on life and sport. He is travelling really well.’

Meanwhile Ben Stokes, a frustratingly peripheral figure in the T20 series, will play his first 50- over international since his dramatic starring role in the 2019 World Cup final at lord’s.

Stokes could fill in at no 3, the position where many would like to see him in the short-form game that so often passes him by.

‘It’s great to have Ben back,’ said Morgan. ‘any chance to get him into a white-ball game is brilliant.’

Virat Kohli could not resist having a little dig yesterday at England’s attitude towards umpires in the T20s which, coming from an India captain who has been fortunate not to attract the attention of the ICC throughout this tour, was a little rich.

But, speaking before his opposite number, Morgan denied any tension between the two sides.

‘When games are close emotions can boil over,’ he said. ‘ But relations are good and there’s huge respect between the sides.’

It remains to be seen whether Moeen has earned enough respect from his captain to finally get a game.