“Moeen Ali With His Injured Finger Would Be A Gamble”: Nasser Hussain Warns England

London: Ahead of the 2nd Ashes Test, former England captain Nasser Hussain has fired a warning to the English team by saying that playing an injured Moeen Ali would be a big gamble. Moeen, who came out of retirement, played in the first test, which Australia won by two wickets in that game at Edgbaston. Moeen injured his finger, which prevented him from bowling in the second inning.

Rehan Ahmed, a teenage star, has been added to the side as all-rounder’s cover, although Hussain has urged England to play an additional pacer if the Lord’s pitch and weather circumstances allow.

“I think they need to have a look at their team a bit. Moeen Ali, his finger, that would be a gamble. I know he’s got a week off and he’s had this injury before in 2017. Only Moeen will know whether a week is enough for the skin to heal, or whether that would just rip it up again,” Hussain told The ICC Review podcast.

Moeen bowled 33 overs in the first innings despite having difficulty with his finger. In addition to being penalised 25 per cent of his match fee for placing a foreign substance on his finger without the umpires’ permission, he took two wickets but went for 147 runs.

“He may not bowl as many overs at Lord’s. Lord’s is not a spinning paradise. Shane Warne never got a five-for there. I might play four seamers and Joe Root as your spinner, but I’ve not seen the pitch,” he added.

England and Australia Will Face Each Other In The Second Test Of Ashes

The second Ashes Test between Australia and England begins at Lord’s on Wednesday. England ended up on the losing side in the first Test match at Edgbaston and lost narrowly by two wickets.