Moeen Ali named England's vice-captain for the 4th Test against India
England have named spin-bowling all-rounder Moeen Ali as their vice-captain for the fourth Test of the Pataudi Trophy against India. The all-important match will take place at the Oval in London between September 2 and September 6.
The official Twitter handle of England Cricket revealed the same on the eve of the 4th Test. The post read:
"Moeen Ali has been named as our vice-captain for the fourth LV= Insurance Test against India. Congrats, Mo!"
The development comes after regular vice-captain Jos Buttler made himself unavailable for the rest of the summer due to the impending birth of his child. Buttler has been replaced by Kent wicketkeeper Sam Billings in the squad for the 4th Test.
Moeen Ali wasn't a part of the playing XI in the 1st Test
Interestingly, Moeen Ali wasn’t even a part of the original squad that England announced for the first couple of Tests of the Pataudi Trophy.
Ali did not feature in the opening Test at Trent Bridge. He was later drafted into the squad for the 2nd Test at Lord’s as the home side looked to balance their playing XI in the absence of Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes.
The spin-bowling all-rounder has thus far managed 48 runs in three innings with the bat. Ali has also claimed four wickers across four innings at an average of 45.25 and an economy rate of 3.02.
With the pitch at the Oval expected to be dry, Moeen Ali could play a crucial role during the latter stages of the match.
Meanwhile, England have made quite a few changes to their squad for the 4th Test at the Oval. Pace bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes has been drafted back into the squad after a long lay-off due to injury. He has replaced Saqib Mahmood in the squad. Mark Wood has also been declared fit after he missed out at Headingley due to a shoulder injury he sustained while fielding during the Lord's Test.
With Jos Buttler no longer available, Jonny Bairstow is set to take the keeping gloves. One of Ollie Pope or Dan Lawrence could make their way into the playing XI in place of Buttler.
England haven't lost a Test match against India at the Oval since 1971. The Joe Root-led side will be hoping to keep their proud record intact as they aim to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.