England on Wednesday announced their playing XI for the opening Test of the 2023 Ashes, with Moeen Ali getting slotted into the team right away and Mark Wood unable to find a place in the bowling department.
Moeen, thus, is set to make his first appearance for England in whites since the Oval Test against India in 2021, with the spin-bowling all-rounder having announced his retirement shortly after that game.
Moeen, however, would come out of retirement in the build-up to this year’s Ashes, which starts on Friday, following off-spinner Jack Leach’s injury-forced exit and a chat with Test skipper Ben Stokes.
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Wood, on the other hand, could not find a place in the pace department with England retaining the iconic pairing of James Anderson and Stuart Broad along with Olly Robinson.
Stokes has previously spoken of his desire to have a bowler with express pace and, with Jofra Archer and Olly Stone on the sidelines, would have been tempted to pick Wood.
But Broad, with 582 Test wickets under his belt, and who led the attack impressively against Ireland, has got the nod.
His selection guarantees another chapter in the 36-year-old’s storied rivalry with Australia opener David Warner, who floundered badly against Broad in 2019, when the Englishman dismissed him seven times in 10 innings.
With spinner Moeen Ali slotting straight in at number eight after agreeing to return to Test cricket, the only question that lingers over the England side concerns the fitness of all-rounder Stokes.
The skipper’s longstanding left knee problems have been a source of constant speculation but he has ramped up his participation in training over the past 48 hours, bowling at close to full speed.
Opener Ben Duckett and fellow batter Harry Brook are the only players in the side who will be making their Ashes debuts in Birmingham.
England team for first Ashes Test at Edgbaston:
Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson.
With inputs from AFP
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