The England selectors could be forced to take a gamble on the fitness of Moeen Ali when they spend Tuesday finalising their squad for next month’s three-Test tour of the Caribbean.
Moeen has been told he requires up to four weeks of rest to recover from an abdominal tear suffered during the World Cup-ending 15-run defeat to Bangladesh in Adelaide last Monday. The injury hampers the off-spinner’s bowling and would certainly rule him out of England’s back to back two-day warmup matches in St Kitts from 6 April while also making him a doubt for the series opener against West Indies in Antigua the following week.
Such is Moeen’s importance to Alastair Cook’s Test attack – he claimed 22 wickets in seven matches against Sri Lanka and India after making his debut last summer – the selection panel of James Whitaker, Angus Fraser, Mick Newell and the head coach, Peter Moores, may decide he is a risk worth taking.
England may name a party of 16 or even 17 players for the month-long tour as they look to finish their winter travels on a high following a dismal World Cup campaign. The Yorkshire leg-spinner Adil Rashid had been tipped to provide backup in the slow-bowling department but failed to impress with the ball during the two unofficial A Tests on the Lions tour to South Africa in January, claiming one wicket for 160 runs from only 31 overs.
James Tredwell, who has one Test cap from 2010, may fly out as cover for Moeen despite last season losing his four-day county place at Kent to Adam Riley, who is set to play alongside Cook for MCC against Yorkshire in the Champion County fixture in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. Overall, though, the spin cupboard continues to look worryingly bare.
Chris Woakes, who ended last summer in the Test side, is the other injury doubt after suffering a stress reaction in his left foot during the Bangladesh defeat. Fresh scans this week will provide a better indication of his injury and the Durham fast bowler Mark Wood is understood to be in line for a callup after spending last week working at the academy in Loughborough.
Fraser and Newell are out of the country on pre-season tours with Middlesex and Nottinghamshire respectively, so the selectors will liaise via telephone before the party are disclosed either Wednesday or on Thursday. Conversations will also revolve around the batting, with Jonathan Trott tipped to return after captaining the Lions this winter.
Moores will also make a decision on whether the bowling coach, David Saker, who has agreed to take over as the head coach of the Melbourne Renegades Big Bash side in his native Australia next winter, will go on tour. Saker, who joined the set-up in 2010, had previously told the England and Wales Cricket Board he would not be extending his contract beyond its expiry in September.
Behind the scenes at Lord’s, the new ECB chief executive, Tom Harrison, will meet with the managing director, Paul Downton, for a full debrief on the World Cup debacle. Kevin Pietersen’s name will likely crop up given his stated plan to play county cricket in a bid to win back his England place. A deal at Surrey is expected to go through this week once Pietersen has clearance to pull out of his £205,000 contract to play for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League.
\
