The ICC have fined England all-rounder Moeen Ali 25% of his match fee after he was spotted "applying a drying agent to his bowling hand" during the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston.
Moeen admitted the offence and the ICC accepted his explanation that the agent was used to try his hands and not to tamper with the condition of the ball. However, Moeen failed to get approval from the on-field umpires to use the spray.
In a statement, the ICC said: "Moeen Ali was found to have breached Article 2.20 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to displaying conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game.
"One demerit point has been added to Moeen's disciplinary record for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct. This was the England all-rounder's first offence in the past 24 months.
"The incident occurred during the 89th over of Australia's first innings at Edgbaston when Moeen was seen applying a drying agent to his bowling hand at the boundary line while fielding.
"Moeen admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Andy Pycroft of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing." The incident is similar to one involving India spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who was accused of cheating in February after he was spotted applying a substance to his finger during a Test match against Australia.
It was later revealed he had applied a soothing cream to his finger but, like Moeen, he had not sought permission from the umpires and was also fined 25% of his match fee. The off-spinner had retired from Test cricket in 2021, but answered an SOS call from England captain Ben Stokes for the Ashes.
First-choice spinner Jack Leach suffered a stress fracture of the back in England's pre-Ashes Test against Ireland and has been ruled out of the series. "Stokesy messaged me with a question mark.... 'Ashes?' said Moeen when asked about his decision to come out of retirement.
"I hadn't heard the news about Leachy at the time so I just said 'LOL', thinking he's taking the mick. The news then came through and I had a chat with him. That was it.
"I've obviously spent a lot of time with Stokesy in India during the IPL. He didn't mention anything about coming out of retirement, it was just about the Ashes and how he was looking to take the team. He obviously watched me train out there and thinks I can bowl decently."
