"They've got to consider Moeen Ali" - Michael Clarke's advice to England after Jack Leach's last-minute injury ahead of Ashes

Former Australian captain Michael Clarke believes England should look at Moeen Ali as Jack Leach's replacement for the Ashes. The World Cup-winning captain conceded that Ali's all-round skills along with his agility on the field would benefit England hugely.

Leach has been ruled out of the entire Ashes series as news emerged of the left-arm spinner suffering a back stress fracture. The Somerset spinner picked up the injury during England's 10-wicket victory over Ireland on Saturday in the one-off Test at Lord's.

Speaking at the Big Sports Breakfast, Clarke felt that rookie spinners in county cricket could be risky and suggested that Ali could be recalled, given how much he brings to the side.

"What do they do now? There’s some other England spinners playing in Country Cricket but geez, it’s a big step up from playing there to play Australia in the Ashes," he said. "I think they’ve got to consider Moeen Ali. I know he’s retired from Test cricket recently but I think because he offers bat, bowl, field makes some handy runs at the bottom of the order - very good fieldsman, I actually think it would be worth a conversation for this series to bring him back."

Moeen Ali retired from Test cricket in September 2021. In a piece for the Daily Mail, he ruled out the possibility of returning to the format for England's tour of Pakistan in 2022, saying it was "time to close the door on that side of my career." Ali took 195 scalps in 64 matches at 36.66 and scored 2,914 runs.

"I don’t know if he would do it" - Michael Clarke on Moeen Ali

Michael Clarke. (Image Credits: Getty)

While Michael Clarke remains unsure of Moeen Ali taking up the role, he feels it's a conversation worth having.

"I don’t know if he would do it. I don’t know if this is something he would consider," the Aussie said. "It’s an Ashes series, you’ve got to forget what it looks like, forget what it sounds like and just work out - what is your best team to win this series? And if that means asking someone to come out of retirement then to me this is the time to do it. Let’s see what they do. But it’s a conversation I would be having."

Meanwhile, Australia also suffered an injury blow on Sunday as Josh Hazlewood was ruled out of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India. However, he is likely to be fit for the Ashes.