3 spinners who can replace Moeen Ali for 2nd Ashes 2023 Test 

England were at the wrong side of an entertaining first Ashes Test against Australia at Edgbaston in Birmingham to kickstart the series in style. The hosts suffered a narrow two-wicket loss in the dying stages of Day 5 to head into the second Test with a 1-0 deficit.

While England took the contest till the end, arguably being favorites at one stage, their chances were hurt by the fact that they did not have a specialist spinner consistently operating from one end.

The returning Moeen Ali bowled his heart out over the course of the first Ashes Test, but his services and skills were limited to a degree due to a blister on his finger. He could not stick to a good line and length on a recurring basis, with random slow and short deliveries as well as full tosses being dished out in between.

He was required to go back to the dressing room on multiple occasions, leading to him bowling only 14 overs in the second innings, arguably when the conditions were the most ideal. The dried-out surface at Edgbaston, the rough patches coupled with the number of left-handed batters in the Australian team were ideal for Moeen Ali to feast on.

He did claim the wicket of Travis Head with a delivery that spun a lot, but he could not bowl long spells. Joe Root took charge with the old ball and bowled more than the all-rounder in the fourth innings.

Australia benefitted from having a specialist spinner as Nathan Lyon ended up with eight wickets in the match, edging closer to the 500-wicket mark. England will have to think of including a frontline spinner in their playing XI for the next game, replacing Moeen Ali.

Here are three potential options that they are likely to consider for the second Ashes Test.

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#1 Rehan Ahmed

The young leg-spinner made a serious impression among the England squad and made his debut during the Pakistan tour in December 2022. He is among a few promising candidates that show that wrist spin still has a major place in modern-day red-ball cricket.

Rehan Ahmed picked up seven wickets in his sole Test appearance so far and could be a major X-factor in the Ashes with Australians not having faced him too much in red-ball cricket at any level before.

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#2 Liam Dawson

The left-arm spinner presents himself as a highly experienced candidate and also brings his batting ability to the table as well. He last played a Test match in 2017 against South Africa but has been a regular presence in the county circuit.

Across his three Test appearances in his career, Liam Dawson has taken seven wickets at an average of 42.57.

Dawson holds a solid average of 32.67 in first-class cricket with the bat. He sustained an ankle ligament injury during the 2023 Pakistan Super League (PSL), but he has recovered and is currently playing the Vitality T20 Blast for Hampshire.

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#3 Will Jacks

The all-rounder is arguably the most ideal like-to-like replacement for Moeen Ali for the Ashes, being a right-arm off-spinner. He is yet to play a Test match on home soil, with both of his appearances so far coming during the tour of Pakistan in December 2022.

He made an instant impression with figures of 6/161 in his maiden innings and followed it up with some decent contributions down the order. Will Jacks was ruled out of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) due to injury after featuring in England's white-ball tour of Bangladesh.

He has recovered from his injury and has been active in the county circuit. His recent set of matches have come in the shortest format in the Vitality Blast, but he could return to the Test side for the Ashes if Moeen Ali is not deemed fit to bowl in the second Test.

Another right-arm off-spinner Dom Bess is also a candidate to be considered. His last Test appearance for England came during their tour of India in 2021.

Who will replace Moeen Ali in the England playing XI in the second Ashes Test if needed? Let us know what you think.