"I think Mo is all good" - Ollie Pope claims all-rounder should be available for Lord's Ashes Test
England vice-captain Ollie Pope has confirmed that Moeen Ali's injury isn't serious and he should be available for the second Ashes Test. England have also drafted leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed as cover for Moeen for the Lord's Test.
Moeen, playing his first Test in nearly two years, managed only three wickets in 47 overs amid suffering a finger injury. As a result, leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed, who picked up a fifer on debut, was called up as cover.
The right-handed batter stated, as quoted by the BBC:
"It was pretty unfortunate what happened. I think Mo is all good. Hopefully, over these few days, it has looked after itself and hopefully, he is fit to play."
Australia prevailed by two wickets in the first Test at Edgbaston after England set them a tricky 281 for victory. The unbroken 55-run stand between Aussie captain Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon allowed the visitors to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
"Depends on what the wicket looks like" - Ollie Pope on England's prospects of including a spinner at Lord's
Speaking of the team combination for Lord's, the Surrey batter believes the venue can be tricky. He explained:
"To be honest, it depends on what the wicket looks like. We know Lord's can be bowler-friendly sometimes but we have seen the role Leachy [injured spinner Jack Leach] has played over the last year in bowler-friendly conditions as well so it is a great option to have."
The last Ashes Test between the two nations resulted in a draw, with Ben Stokes starring by scoring an unbeaten hundred. Stokes will again be under focus, especially after his declaration of 393-8 in 78 overs on Day 1 came under the scanner.
With Joe Root batting brilliantly on 118, the home side had an opportunity to add at least 50 more runs to their total.