Ashes 2023: England will be without services of Moeen Ali on Day 2 of fifth Test

England have relied on Moeen Ali's off-spin in the Ashes as their primary spin-bowling option. On some occasions, the hosts have relied on Joe Root, but it seems that on Day 2, the former England captain will have to bowl a lot more, as Moeen will not be able to roll his arm over after suffering an injury on the opening day of the fifth Test at the Kennington Oval, in London.

England confirmed that the all-rounder will not be able to fulfill his spin-bowling duties as he hurt his groin while running between the wickets on Day 1. Moeen continued to bat with the injury and was eventually dismissed by Todd Murphy for a stroke-filled 47-ball 34. The injury for the 36-year-old comes as a huge blow for England as he could have added variety to the bowling.

It will be interesting to see if the southpaw can come out to bat at No. 3 in England's second innings. The chances are slim as groin injuries take time to heal. He might come in lower down the order and swing his bat in the hope of some quick runs.

The Ben Stokes-led side pushed Moeen Ali to No. 3 after Ollie Pope got injured. The team management didn't want to tinker with the batting positions of Joe Root, Harry Brook, or Jonny Bairstow and that is why they slotted Ali in the crucial No. 3 position. In three innings at No. 3, the left-handed batter registered scores of 5, 54, and 34, respectively.

Ali remained away in last session on opening day, Starc starred for Australia with the ball

With the ball, Moeen Ali, who came out of retirement to play in the Ashes 2023, has picked up six wickets at an average of 64.50. He didn't field during the Australian innings on Day 1 in the last session. On Day 1, England batted aggressively, as per their template, and were bowled out for 283 in 54.4 overs. Harry Brook top-scored with a swashbuckling 85 off 91 balls.

On the other hand, Mitchell Starc was the pick of the bowlers for Australia, as he finished with figures of 4/82. In reply, the tourists lost David Warner for 24 before Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne took them to Stumps with 61 runs on the board. Australia have already retained the urn as the series currently stands at 2-1 in their favour.