Moeen Ali has been fined 25% of his match fee and handed one demerit point after admitting to using an unauthorised drying agent on his bowling hand in the first Ashes Test.
In announcing the decision, the International Cricket Council accepted Moeen, who is making his Test return this week after a near two-year absence, used the spray to dry his hands and not in an attempt to alter the condition of the ball. However, its use was in contravention of the umpires’ pre-series instruction against players using anything on their hands without prior approval.
An ICC statement said: “England player Moeen Ali has been fined 25% of his match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC code of conduct during the first Test against Australia in Birmingham on Saturday.
“Ali was found to have breached Article 2.20 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to displaying conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game.
“In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to Ali’s disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period.”
Ravindra Jadeja was also fined 25% of his match fee in February for failing to notify umpires he was applying ointment to a sore finger during India’s first Test against Australia. But the ICC cleared the all-rounder of tampering with the ball after the incident sparked international debate.
Moeen’s increased workload on his comeback to the Test set-up has caused a blister on his right index finger, similar to – but not as troubling as – an injury which blighted his tour of Australia in 2017-18.
Rather than risk discomfort from wiping away sweat with a towel because of friction, Moeen was spotted by television cameras in the 89th over of Australia’s innings on Saturday using a spray on his right hand just before he was introduced back into the attack.
Umpires had expressly prohibited players from using anything on their hands without prior approval but the International Cricket Council accepted Moeen was only attempting to dry his hands and not the more serious offence of trying to alter the condition of the ball.
Moeen has played exclusively in white-ball formats since September 2021 but answered Ben Stokes’ SOS this month after first-choice spinner Jack Leach went down with a stress fracture of the lower back.
He sent down 29 overs on Saturday, taking the top-order wickets of Travis Head and Cameron Green, who was cleaned up through the gate with a jaffa, but bowling to aggressive fields and leaking 124 runs.
There was some concern at how the step-up in intensity might affect Moeen’s susceptible spinning finger - which he cut five years ago in Australia, where he took just five wickets at an average of 115.
He bowled just four overs on Sunday as England wrapped up the Australia innings, conceding 23 runs and bludgeoned for two sixes by touring captain Pat Cummins to finish with figures of 33-4-147-2.
The England assistant Paul Collingwood did not seem overly concerned after play on Saturday when asked about whether Moeen was experiencing soreness in his hand.
“I think spinners generally get wear and tear in their fingers,” Collingwood said. “Generally I think you’ve just got to grin and bear it. Part and parcel of a spinner’s job is they’ve got to grip the seam and give it a rip. All spinners have blisters and calluses on their spinning fingers. He’s no different to anybody else.”
