The 73rd Ashes series will pit England and Australia against one another beginning on June 16. But first, on June 7 at The Oval, the Kangaroos will play India in the World Test Championship final (WTC), hoping to win before moving on to the storied Ashes series.
Star all-rounder Moeen Ali has been added to England's squad for the first two Ashes Tests, which begin on Friday, June 16, 2023, at Edgbaston. It's interesting to note that Moeen had quit playing red-ball cricket internationally over two years prior, but he decided to come back for the Australia series after fellow spin bowler Jack Leach was forced to withdraw due to injury.
‘Mo is excited to join the squad and play Test cricket again’ - Rob Key
Rob Key, the managing director of England Men's Cricket, said that they had contacted Moeen earlier in the week and that after giving it some thought, he is excited to return to Test cricket. Moeen's experience and all-around skills, in Key's opinion, will be beneficial for England's Ashes campaign.
“We reached out to Mo (Moeen Ali) early this week about returning to Test cricket. Having had a couple of days to reflect, Mo is excited to join the squad and play Test cricket again. His vast experience, along with his all-round ability, will benefit our Ashes campaign. We wish Mo and the rest of the squad well for the Ashes campaign.” said Rob Key, Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket.
Here is England’s updated Ashes squad:Ben Stokes (c), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Ben Duckett, Stuart Broad, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Moeen Ali.
5-Test Ashes schedule:
1st Test: England v Australia, 16-20 June, Edgbaston, Birmingham
2nd Test: England v Australia, 28 June-2 July, Lord’s, London
3rd Test: England v Australia, 6-10 July, Headingley, Leeds
4th Test: England v Australia, 19-23 July, Old Trafford, Manchester
5th Test: England v Australia, 27-31 Oval, London
Here’s how fans reacted:
Yeh bhrwe retirement lete kyu hai phir
— Shaurya (@Kohli_Dewotee) June 7, 2023
Shahid Afridi 2.O
— Aryan 45 🇮🇳 (@Iconic_Rohit) June 7, 2023
Takla replace takla nice strategy 👍
— Stuud (@Stuud_Souren) June 7, 2023
Wowww Moo 💛💛
— Bro (@ParodyEvrything) June 7, 2023
Rashes
— Vinay Tiwari (@VinayTiwari69) June 7, 2023
Ye naya afridi hai
— . (@Raghav226943861) June 7, 2023
Iska retirement lene ka or vapas Ane ka khatam hi nahi ho Raha hai😂😂😂
— BHAVESH PARMAR (@BHAVESH14970660) June 7, 2023
Nowadays retirement be like - apni to koi kadar hi nhi hai
— Abdul Lateef. (@ABDUL_X_VIRAT) June 7, 2023