"Moeen has got real issues with that spinning finger" - Michael Atherton reacts after all-rounder is fined for spraying substance on bowling hand

Former England captain Michael Atherton opined that all-rounder Moeen Ali has real issues with his bowling finger after the latter was fined for applying a drying agent to his bowling hand without the umpires' consent.

The 36-year-old, who is celebrating his birthday on Sunday, June 18, has been docked 25 per cent of his match fee for spraying a substance on his bowling hand during the ongoing Ashes 2023 Test at Edgbaston. The incident occurred in the 89th over of play on Saturday, Day 2 of the Test match.

Moeen, who came out of Test retirement after England’s lead spinner Jack Leach was ruled out of the Ashes, has reportedly been struggling with a blister on his index finger. Reacting to the off-spinner being fined, Atherton was quoted as saying by Sky Sports Cricket:

"[Applying the spray] shows Moeen has got real issues with that spinning finger because he hasn't been playing red-ball cricket. He is going to have a lot of bowling to do in this Test match and potentially the series."

Nasser Hussain, another former England skipper, chipped in and stated that limited-overs cricket and Test are different ball games. He opined:

"It is the whole debate about the difference between white-ball and Test cricket. Jonny Bairstow has not kept that much and we saw the sloppiness that happens after a day in the field. Moeen hasn't bowled with a red Dukes ball for a long, long time.

"Stokes has looked stiff running in to bowl for his second and third spells. Mentally, I think they can cope, physically it's a different game."

England bowled out Australia for 386 on Day 3 of the Edgbaston Test. Pacers Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson finished with three wickets each, while Moeen ended the innings with figures of 2/147 from 33 overs.

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Why Moeen Ali was fined

Moeen’s act of applying a drying agent to his bowling hand at the boundary line while fielding, without seeking the umpires’ consent, breached Level One of the ICC Code of Conduct. This was the cricketer’s first offence in the past 24 months.

An ICC statement regarding the incident read:

"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. Ali admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Andy Pycroft of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing."

Earlier, this year, India left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja was also fined for applying a cream to the index finger on his bowling hand during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.