Moeen Ali may not bowl in second Ashes Test due to finger injury, Craig Overton added to squad
Ali could play as specialist batsman in Adelaide; England add Craig Overton to the XI that played first Test in Brisbane
Friday 1 December 2017 22:05, UK
Moeen Ali may not bowl in the second Ashes Test due to a finger injury, with England adding Craig Overton to their squad.
Moeen, whose bowling was affected by the cut during England's 10-wicket defeat at the Gabba, would likely be retained as a batsman at Adelaide Oval in the match starting on Saturday even if were unable to bowl, Joe Root confirmed on Friday.
England have named a 12-man squad for first-day night Test in men's Ashes cricket, with Somerset seamer Overton added to the XI that suffered defeat in the series opener in Brisbane.
Root will name his team at the toss, with Overton putting pressure on Jake Ball for a spot in the pace attack alongside James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes.
"We'll have another look at things after practice and see how he is then," Root said of Ali on Friday. "[We'll] see if there's any more damage to [his finger] and then we'll have to make a decision from there.
"His batting's been a huge part of our team for a long period of time now so I think he would still play as a batter. I think it's important that we take everything into consideration."
With England 1-0 down in the series, Root took some comfort in the damp conditions in Adelaide with rain likely to feature over the opening days of the second Test.
"It's very English outside," he said. "It's forecast to be damp and that should play into our hands."
