England all-rounder Moeen Ali is a doubt for the second Ashes test against Australia as he struggles to recover from a cut on his index finger, captain Joe Root said on Friday.
Moeen, whose bowling was affected by the cut during England’s 10-wicket defeat at the Gabba, would probably be retained as a batsman at Adelaide Oval in the match starting Saturday even if were unable to bowl, said Root.
Meanwhile, Australia will field the same team in the second Ashes test against England, captain Steve Smith said on Friday, with uncapped local seamer Chadd Sayers and quick Jackson Bird again missing out.
“Same team,” Smith told reporters succinctly at his pre-match news conference at Adelaide Oval, where the second test starts on Saturday.
The hosts took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series with a 10-wicket victory at the Gabba where their dominance in the second innings gave the pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins sufficient time to rest.
Australia’s selectors named a 13-man squad for the first two tests, including the surprise selections of opener Cameron Bancroft, batsman Shaun Marsh and wicketkeeper Tim Paine.
Australia team: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine (wicketkeeper), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
