We’ve moved away from the idea of Moeen Ali playing as the first spinner: Ed Smith

English cricket team national selector Ed Smith made it clear that Moeen Ali would no longer be seen as their first spinner in Tests. On the other hand, Jos Buttler was included in the 12 man squad for the upcoming two-match series against Pakistan. He expected the wicketkeeper-batsman to continue expressing himself openly in the traditional format as he does in white ball cricket.

Moeen Ali hasn’t been in the best of his form for England. During the Ashes defeat down under, he went through a poor patch. averaging 19.88 with the bat and taking five wickets at an average of 115 runs. As for Jos Buttler, he has shown some scintillating form for England as well as in the IPL currently.

We’ve moved away from the idea of Moeen playing as the first spinner

Moeen was dropped for the last test against New Zealand in Christchurch during March. Ed stated that while there was no doing about the all rounder’s capabilities, they’ve started considering other options for a first choice spinner. He remarked that the time wasn’t right to bring him back to the mix.

“I don’t think anyone doubts Moeen’s ability to contribute handsomely to cricket matches, particularly in England, where he has a strong record. It was just a sense that we’ve moved away from the idea of Moeen playing as a first spinner. After a difficult winter for him in the Test arena, it didn’t feel like the right time to bring him back into the squad.” He was quoted as saying by Sportskeeda.

We felt it was the perfect opportunity to reintroduce Jos Buttler to Test cricket

Ed Smith asserted that the message was clear for Jos Buttler to continue playing his brand of cricket. Lauding him for his batting skills and decision making, he felt that it was the perfect time to bring him back in the Test team. He expected him to replicate his limited overs form in the longer format.