“Singer losing vocals but expecting to put a concert on” - Nathan Lyon on Moeen Ali bowling with blistered finger

Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon has admitted that he feels sorry for his England counterpart Moeen Ali, who is struggling with a blistered finger. The Aussie went on to compare Moeen’s woes to a lead singer losing his vocals, but having to perform at a concert.

Despite struggling with his finger, Moeen bowled 33 overs in the first innings, with mixed results. He claimed two wickets but went for 147 runs and was even fined 25 percent of his match fee for applying a foreign substance on his finger without the umpires’ consent.

Moeen, who retired from Test cricket in 2021, was requested to make a comeback in the Ashes after lead spinner Jack Leach was ruled out due to injury. Sympathizing with the England all-rounder, Lyon said after close of play on Day 4:

“It’s massive to be honest with you, I actually sitting here have a lot of sympathy for Moeen. Not coming off any red-ball cricket for two years and thrown into bowling a lot of overs.

“The best way I can probably sum it up, and it will probably sound weird, is a singer losing their vocals but expecting to go out and put a concert on.”

The seasoned off-spinner explained:

“It is extremely tough to grip the ball as finger spinners, especially as offies, we put our fingers on the seam and try to spin up the back of the ball. That’s where we get spin, drop and drift. So a lot of sympathy for him, I’ve been there before, it is quite painful.”

Over the years, spinners have used interesting tactics to make their fingers stronger. Some have dipped their hands in alcoholic mixtures, while former England spinner Graeme Swann reportedly used urine for the same.

Lyon, however, stopped short of sharing any advice for Moeen. He commented:

“I don’t have to tell you what I do in my hotel room. We’ll leave it at that.”

Moeen has bowled seven overs in the second innings so far and has registered figures of 0/24.

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“They don't want to defend” - Nathan Lyon on his plans for England batters

While Moeen Ali has had mixed impact in the Edgbaston Test, Nathan Lyon has been brilliant, claiming four wickets in both innings. Asked about his plans for England’s batters, he explained:

“For me it's about bowling my best ball and trying to get them to defend as much as I can and understanding they don't want to defend. And that's totally okay.

“It's a different challenge but it's exciting to be honest. They are playing a positive brand of cricket and I'm bloody proud to be a part of it to be honest.”

Chasing 281, Australia ended Day 4 on 107/3, with Usman Khawaja (34*) and Scott Boland (13*) at the crease.