The incident occurred on the second day of the Test match when Moeen, who had already bowled 29 overs, applied a drying agent to his right hand boundary before coming on to bowl the 89th over. However, this action went against a pre-series directive from the umpires, which stated that players were not allowed to use such substances without their prior approval.
While Moeen’s actions breached the rules, the ICC determined that he had not used the spray to alter the condition of the ball, which would have resulted in a more severe ball-tampering sanction. Consequently, Moeen was spared a heavier penalty.
Following the announcement of the ICC’s punishment on the morning of day three, Moeen, who was given the ball to bowl at the start of the day’s play, accepted the fine, and no formal hearing was required.
Moeen, who was called out of retirement by Ben Stokes to participate in the Ashes, has performed well so far in his return Test. However, the strain of bowling more overs in a day than he did during his recent Indian Premier League campaign has already taken a toll on him physically.
One factor affecting Moeen’s performance is the difference between the Dukes ball used in Tests in England and the white Kookaburra ball that he primarily used in limited-overs cricket since his now-revoked Test retirement in September 2021. The Dukes ball has a more pronounced seam, which has contributed to a callused spinning finger for Moeen.
Paul Collingwood, England’s assistant coach, acknowledged the toll that spinners’ fingers endure and expressed confidence in Moeen’s ability to continue bowling. “I think spinners generally get wear and tear on the fingers, that’s part and parcel of a spinner’s job,” Collingwood stated after the day’s play.
“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 got to grin and bear it, and crack on and just try and give it a rip as much as he can.”
Creams and ointments are commonly used treatments for bowlers’ spinning fingers. However, the ICC has made it clear that it considers these treatments to be against its code of conduct when applied on the field without prior approval from umpires.
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This is not the first time a player has faced such a penalty. India’s Ravindra Jadeja received an identical punishment during the first Test against Australia in Nagpur earlier this year when he took a soothing cream from a teammate to alleviate swelling on his index finger of his bowling hand.
Moeen Ali’s use of a drying agent on his hand during the Ashes opener has resulted in a fine from the ICC. While he avoided a more severe penalty for ball-tampering, his callused finger and the demands of the game have posed physical challenges.