Moeen Ali. (Photo Source: Twitter)
The first Test of Ashes 2023 is heading towards an exciting finish as Australia need 174 more runs to win on Day 5 having seven wickets in hand. The Pat Cummins-led side finished Day 4 on 107/3 chasing a target of 281 with Usman Khawaja (34*) and Scott Boland (13*) at the crease. The Edgbaston wicket is offering good assistance to spinners right from Day 1 and is expected to assist them further on Day 5.
With the surface offering brilliant assistance, all eyes will be on England’s spin all-rounder Moeen Ali on Day 5, who will be expected to bowl his team to victory on the final day. However, former England cricketer Michael Atherton feels that Ali won’t be able to have an impact on the game as he’s struggling with a finger injury.
“Ali is clearly struggling. He was given six overs after the new ball burst, and his finger stood up for four of them, before the blister/cut opened up again. No doubt he will bowl through the pain if required but it is hard to see him having the impact a spinner would hope to have on this parched surface or emulating Nathan Lyon who kept England in check with another fine display,” Atherton wrote in his column in The Times.
Notably, the off-spinner developed a blister on his right index finger which split again on Day 4 and hence he left the field an hour before the stumps. In the match so far, Ali scored 18 and 19 runs in the two innings, respectively, and could only pick up two wickets in the first innings giving away 147 runs in 33 overs. On Day 4, he bowled seven overs giving away 24 runs, and remained wicketless before leaving the field.
An action-packed Day 5 in store
Coming back to the match, after bowling out England on 273 in the second innings, Australia got off to a good start as openers David Warner (36) and Khawaja added 61 runs for the first wicket. However, England made a good comeback as Ollie Robison broke the partnership by dismissing Warner. Stuart Broad further sent the big fishes Marnus Labuschagne (13) and Steve Smith (6) back into the pavilion before Khawaja and Boland took Australia to stumps.