England drop Moeen and call up Leach and Archer for 2nd Ashes Test

World Cup-winner Jofra Archer is in line to make his eagerly-awaited Test debut after being included in England’s 12-man squad for next week’s second Ashes Test against Australia at Lord’s, while Moeen Ali was left out on Friday.

Fast bowler Archer could replace James Anderson after England’s all-time leading wicket-taker was ruled out with a calf injury that restricted him to sending down just four overs in a 251-run first-Test defeat by Ashes holders Australia at Edgbaston.

Archer missed that match because of a side problem but has since proved his fitness in a second-team fixture for county side Sussex against Gloucestershire, taking 6-27 and hitting a quick-fire century. England also have another seam-bowling option in Surrey left-armer Sam Curran.

Fast bowler Olly Stone, who was in the squad for the first Test but did not play, has been ruled out with a back injury.

Meanwhile, off-spinner Moeen has been dropped, with left-armer Jack Leach recalled into the squad ahead of Wednesday’s start at Lord’s.

Moeen was omitted after a miserable match at Edgbaston. The 32-year-old all-rounder only managed returns of 1-42 and 2-130 with the ball, while scoring just four runs in the match -- including a first-innings duck. His second-innings bowling display was particularly concerning, with Moeen offering neither control or persistent wicket-taking on a wearing pitch favouring spinners and even bowling a couple of head-high beamers.

And both times he batted he was dismissed by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon, who has now claimed Moeen’s wicket nine times in 11 innings.

Somerset’s Leach played his last Test against Ireland at Lord’s a fortnight ago when the nightwatchman made a career-best 92 -- an innings that helped set up an England victory and won him the man-of-the-match award.

England’s middle-order trio of Joe Denly, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow all had poor returns with the bat at Edgbaston, with wicketkeeper Bairstow also untidy behind the stumps.

But all three have retained their places in the squad, although Denly’s position at number four had been called into question following scores of 18 and 11 in Birmingham. Australia are bidding to win their first away Ashes series in 18 years.

Australia great Shane Warne meanwhile believes Jofra Archer could be the man to stop Steve Smith’s Ashes run-spree as “no one likes to face tall 90 mph (145 kph) bowlers”.

World Cup-winner Archer is set to make his Test debut at Lord’s next week after being included in England’s squad for the second match of the Ashes series.

Australia batting star Smith made 144 and 142 in a 251-run win for the visitors in the opener at Edgbaston during a superb return to Test cricket following a 12-month ban for his role in a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa -- an incident that also cost him the captaincy.

Archer missed the first game with a side injury but the 24-year-old quick is in line to replace the injured James Anderson, England’s all-time leading wicket-taker, at Lord’s after proving his fitness in a 2nd XI match for county side Sussex. Warne believes Archer’s extra pace, as well as the knowledge gained from playing alongside Smith for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, will stand him in good stead if he is selected.

“Steve (Smith) has been the star of the show so far but now we have Jofra joining his Royals (and England) team-mates Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler,” Warne said on Friday after Archer was named in England’s 12-man squad for Lord’s.

Former leg-spinner Warne, the second-most successful bowler in Test history with 708 wickets, added: “Obviously I would love to see Steve go on and score a hundred in every single innings for the rest of the Ashes but with Jofra coming in I think he’ll be set to face his biggest challenge yet and this could make the difference in the upcoming Tests.

“No one likes to face tall 90 mph bowlers.”

Agence France-Presse


England squad: Rory Burns, Jason Roy, Joe Root (capt), Joe Denly, Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow (wkt), Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Jack Leach, Sam Curran