England’s Ashes preparations have taken a jolt, as Moeen Ali and Steven Finn have injured themselves in England’s training session at the Richardson Park in Perth.
Finn who came into the England squad as Ben Stokes’ replacement who is undergoing an investigation for a bar brawl was looking forward to the upcoming Ashes series to renew his career.
Steven Finn injured his knee while batting in the nets, as he fell on the ground and then limped off to the dressing room and will undergo scans. Finn last played a Test for the three lions in October 2016 against Bangladesh. This untimely injury has raised a worrying sign for the English team management as he was brought into the team as a replacement for Ben Stokes.
Finn has played 36 Tests for England and has picked up 125 wickets.
Moeen Ali, on the other hand, has been struggling with sore left side and missed England’s practice session. Ali has been a significant contributor in England’s success in the recent time. His all-around capabilities helped his team to have tremendous success during the home season. England has gone with just two slow bowlers, the other one being Mason Crane.
Moeen Ali is England’s preferred option in the spin bowling department for the upcoming first Test at the Gabba in Brisbane scheduled to begin on 23rd November.
Meanwhile, former England batsman Mark Butcher feels that Moeen’s absence could be disastrous for the England team, he said,
“For England to lose Moeen Ali as well as the loss of Ben Stokes is potentially disastrous for the visiting team. Trevor Bayliss who is the coach has been saying that Moeen Ali was the man likely to step up into the number 6 position in place of Ben Stokes, and so England will further adjust their batting line up in order to cope without him perhaps in the first warm-up match in Perth and who knows for how long afterwards. A side injury can be disastrous for any bowler.”
Their new opener Mark Stoneman who made his debut in the series against the Windies said the England team goes into the Ashes series, as underdogs mainly because of their inexperienced batting line up. He feels that the Aussies strength lies in the bowling department which has the likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazelwood and Pat Cummins. He said,
“I think I’ve got a natural flow to my game, and I’m always looking to score, hopefully, that can take pressure off Cookie if I’m playing well. I don’t think it rests just on myself and Cookie at the top of the order but, generally, the momentum will start there,”
Stoneman who’ll be playing his first Ashes has an Australian influence in his personal life, as his wife is an Australian and has played six seasons of grade cricket in Sydney. He is also mentored by former Australian batsman Michael Di Venuto who is also the current coach of Surrey.
“He’s been a fantastic mentor for me, he doesn’t complicate the game too much. He’s definitely taken my game forward.”
(Ashes 2017/18: Josh Hazelwood To Play For NSW On His Return To Competitive Cricket)