3 reasons why England must drop Moeen Ali for the 2nd Ashes Test

The opening Test of the ongoing Ashes series at Edgbaston lived up to all the hype. The two teams, England and Australia produced a thriller which will go down as a classic.

Batting first, the hosts scored 393/8 and declared on the first day itself. After the first innings, England had a lead of 7 runs and then added 273 in their second essay. Australia chased down a total of 281 thanks to a 55-run partnership between Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon.

Looking at how the first game shaped up, the rest of the series promises to be one of the very best in recent times. While Australia will look to build on the momentum, England will look to make fewer mistakes at Lords, the venue for the second Test.

As far as the hosts are concerned, there has been a wide discussion regarding whether Moeen Ali should be retained in the playing XI or not. Here, we look at three reasons why England must drop him for the upcoming game:

#1 Looked under-prepared

Moeen Ali returned to the Test setup after two years because of an unfortunate injury to Jack Lead, England's premier red-ball spinner. He was brought out of retirement by Stokes and Co., but his performance in the first Test has not justified his selection.

In the first innings, he bowled 33 overs but could pick up only two wickets. Moreover, he leaked runs at an economy of 4.5 per over. In the second innings, he picked up a solitary wicket and again conceded runs at more than 4 an over.

While one can argue that it was his return to red-ball cricket, but the fact of the matter is that he looked under-prepared for a high-profile Ashes game. Moeen Ali's bowling didn't have the rhythm that we are accustomed to seeing from the experienced campaigner.

#2 Not 100% fit

As a fellow offspinner, Nathan Lyon has "a lot of sympathy" for Moeen Ali's hurt finger 😢

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Moeen Ali had a problem with a finger of his bowling arm, which affected his performance at Edgbaston. Consequently, he could not play a major part in the second innings as he only bowled 14 overs. Skipper Stokes had to turn to Joe Root because of Moeen's injury.

The long gap between the first two games might aid his recovery but the injury could recur at Lord's. In a high-profile series like The Ashes, it would be a gamble to play Moeen Ali at this point of time. Hence, England should resist the temptation to pick him for the Lord's Test.

#3 Rehan Ahmed's presence

England have added Rehan Ahmed to their squad ahead of the Lord's Test

A couple of days back, England added 18-year-old Rehan Ahmed to their squad for the Lord's Test. England should play him instead of taking a risk with Moeen Ali.

Rehan, touted to be the next big thing in English Cricket, has played just one Test match so far, against Pakistan in December 2022. It was a great debut for him as he picked up seven wickets in the game, including a magnificent five-for. Ahmed's performance helped his side win the Test match in a convincing manner.

Moreover, the youngster has displayed his batting prowess, scoring 629 runs at an avaerage of 33.10, including a century in first-class cricket.

🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨

18 year-old Rehan Ahmed has been added to the England Men's Test squad for the Lord's Test as cover for Mo!

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He doesn't have much experience (11 FC games), but the management could still think of unleashing him and exploiting his X-factor.