I’ve been there – Nathan Lyon feels for Moeen Ali over finger problem

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Nathan Lyon expressed sympathy with fellow spinner Moeen Ali, who faces the prospect of bowling crucial spells on the final day of the first Ashes Test with a badly blistered finger, likening the situation to “a singer losing their vocals”.

Moeen, who has returned to the Test side after a hiatus of almost two years, opened up a wound on his right index finger on the second day at Edgbaston and has had to leave the field on multiple occasions since to receive treatment for it.

On day two he was fined and handed one demerit point by the match referee after applying a drying agent on his injured finger to help him grip the ball better without receiving approval.

Despite his injury, Moeen managed to take the wickets of Cameron Green and Travis Head in the first innings, but his struggles to get purchase on the seam saw him leak runs.

The four overs he managed to bowl on day three before going off to receive treatment went for 26 runs, including two sixes in one over courtesy of Pat Cummins.

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He will need to play through the pain barrier as England seek the seven wickets they need for victory on day five, while Australia will hope they can use his circumstances to their advantage as they try and score 174 more runs for victory.

The best way I can probably sum it up is it’s probably like a singer losing their vocals but being expected to go out there and put a concert on

Lyon, who has taken eight wickets in the match and knows the difficulties Moeen is facing, said: “I’ve got a lot of sympathy for Mo – not coming off any red-ball cricket for two years and being thrown in to bowl a lot of overs.

“The best way I can probably sum it up is it’s probably like a singer losing their vocals but being expected to go out there and put a concert on.

“It is extremely tough to grip the ball, especially as finger-spinners. As offies (off-spinners), we put our fingers on the seam and we try and spin it up the back of the ball as that’s where you get spin, drop and drift.

“So I’ve a lot of sympathy for him. I’ve been there before. It is quite painful.”

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