Moeen Ali will miss the opening TWO warm-up matches of England’s Ashes tour with a side injury.
The ECB have confirmed the Worcestershire all-rounder will not play in the two-day match against a Western Australia X1 at the WACA, Perth starting tomorrow and the four-day game versus a Cricket Australia X1 at the Adelaide Oval beginning next Wednesday.
A scan today revealed that Moeen – who last week signed a new five year contract with Worcestershire – has aggravated his left side.
But the encouraging news is that the 30-year-old is expected to return to full training by mid November.
That will be ahead of the final tour game, again versus a CA X1 in Townsville starting on November 15 – eight days before the first Test is due to get underway.
Paceman Steven Finn will also miss the opening two games after undergoing a scan on his left knee.
The Middlesex seamer will be monitored by the England medical department over the next seven days and a further decision on his fitness will be made at that time.
