Ashes 2023: Ollie Pope hopeful of ‘fit’ Moeen Ali playing Lord’s Test against Australia

England vice-captain Ollie Pope said that Moeen Ali has got enough time since the Birmingham Test to get fit for the second Ashes Test to be played at the Lord’s.

Moeen returned to playing Test cricket after nearly two years as a consequence of Jack Leach’s lower back stress fracture.

However, he injured his spinning finger, after which Joe Root had to chip in with more than 20 overs at the Edgbaston. Moeen was a workhorse for England in their first innings with the ball in hand. Since the hosts are not sure about Moeen’s fitness, they added 18-year-old Rehan Ahmed in their squad.

“I think Mo’s all good. It was pretty unfortunate what happened, and hopefully, over these few days it has looked after itself and hopefully he is fit to play. I’m sure he’s sweet – those few days have helped,” Pope was quoted as saying.

With a day left for the Lord’s Test, England are yet to name their playing XI. If Moeen Ali doesn’t end up playing, then England either have to depend on the part-time option of Root or include Rehan in the playing XI.

“To be honest, it depends what the wicket looks like. We know Lord’s can be [seam] bowler-friendly sometimes but we have seen the role Leachy has played over the last year on bowler-friendly conditions as well – so it is a great option to have,” Pope said.

The second Test will get underway on Wednesday, June 28. England are trailing the five-match series 0-1 after losing the Birmingham Test by two wickets.