Moeen suffered a cut to his spinning finger at the Gabba and did not bowl during Thursday's practice session, prompting fears he might be unable to be part of the attack at the Adelaide Oval.
But Moeen looked relaxed as he bowled with the pink ball during England’s evening net session, with the later time scheduled to give the batsmen practice under floodlights. Moeen needed to have the cut filed and glued together to allow him to bowl throughout the match at Brisbane but he was not as effective as usual and was outbowled by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Captain Joe Root, who also bowled in the nets, wanted to check Moeen’s condition before deciding on his final XI.
He said: “At the end of practise we’ll have a clear indication if he’ll be fit to bowl throughout the game. His batting has been a huge part of this team for a long time, so I think he would still play as a batter.”
Moeen is therefore certain to play because of his importance as a batsman but if he can make only a limited contribution as a bowler, England may consider giving a Test debut to Mason Crane.
The leg-spinner was a surprise inclusion in the squad and there is concern he could suffer heavy punishment. Root himself can bowl off-spin and as long as Moeen suffers no ill-effects from today’s bowl, the captain would probably decide to leave Crane in reserve.
Pacemen Craig Overton and Jake Ball, who face a straight fight for the final spot, had their technique tested against the short ball in practice.
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