Picture Credit: X
After reining victorious over India in the opening Test of the five-match series, Ben Stokes’ England will hope to continue their domination in the upcoming Test match, set to be played from July 2 to 6 at Edgbaston in Birmingham. Hours prior to the second Test, the England Cricket announced their playing XI, which saw them field an unchanged squad despite Jofra Archer’s availability.
However, they’ve vouched on the likes of Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue, they have continued to field Shoaib Bashir as their lone spinner in the lineup. But days ahead of the second Test, the England practice session saw an unexpected guest join them, former all-rounder Moeen Ali. It is to be noted that Ali retired from international cricket in 2024, but ahead of the upcoming Test, visited his home ground to share his expertise.
Moeen Ali joins England team as spin-bowling coach ahead of second Test: Reports
However, a clarity on Moeen Ali’s surprise visit is still awaited, according to Will Macpherson from The Telegraph, Ali has joined the side as a spin bowling consultant. In a post on X, Macpherson wrote, “England have been joined at Edgbaston for training today by Moeen Ali, in a coaching consultancy role.”
In the videos going viral on social media, Ali was seen engaging in detailed discussion with head coach Brendon McCullum and spin bowling coach Jeetan Patel. Furthermore, it has to be known that the Edgbaston pitch is expected to provide plenty of runs and is also set to assist spinners from day three onwards.
While some have claimed Ali’s joining as a consultant, sources revealed to PTI that his visit was one-time as the former all-rounder is not looking to take long-term coaching roles, but is open to simply offer guidelines for the upcoming Test match.
England’s Playing XI for Edgbaston Test vs India
Ben Stokes (c), Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook (vc), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir
