England all-rounder Moeen Ali has been fined 25 per cent of his match fee for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct on day two of the Edgbaston Ashes Test.
The veteran spinner, playing his first Test match since August 2021, was seen applying a drying agent to his bowling hand near the boundary rope on Saturday afternoon.
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On Sunday, the ICC confirmed that Ali had breached Article 2.20 of the Code of Conduct, which relates to displaying conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game. The 36-year-old, who has been nursing a blister on his spinning finger, admitted the offence and accepted the sanction, with one demerit point added to his disciplinary record.
“Ali sprayed a drying agent on his bowling hand at the boundary line before coming on to bowl the next over, thus defying the umpires’ pre-series instructions about not using anything on their hands without prior approval,” the ICC statement read.
“In reaching his decision to sanction the player, the match referee was satisfied that Ali had used the spray only to dry his hands. The spray was not used as an artificial substance on the ball and consequently it had not changed the condition of the ball.”
Earlier this year, Indian spinner Ravindra Jadeja was penalised for a similar incident after applying a soothing cream to the index finger of his bowling hand during the Nagpur Test against Australia.
LIVE BLOG: Edgbaston Ashes Test, day three
Ali, who retired from Test cricket in 2021, was added to England’s Ashes squad at the eleventh hour after an injury setback for incumbent spinner Jack Leach.
He claimed two wickets on day two of the Edgbaston Test, removing Travis Head for 50 and Cameron Green for 38.
On Sunday morning, Ali left the field to treat his sore finger, leaving England without their strike spinner.
“I think spinners generally get wear and tear on the fingers, that’s part and parcel of a spinner’s job,” England assistant coach Paul Collingwood said of Ali’s callused finger on Saturday evening.
“They grip the seam and give it a rip and I think all spinners have blisters and callouses on their spinning fingers, so he’s no different to anybody else.
“I think you’ve just to grin and bear it, and crack on and just try and give it a rip as much as he can.”
