England is going to add one of their 3 reserve spinners to the playing XI in the 1st Test match against Sri Lanka on January 14. This decision was made after Moeen Ali was ruled out due to contention. England’s coach Chris Silverwood thinks adding 1 extra spinner is necessary for the team.
We know Moeen Ali was tested positive for the Covid-19 test on arrival in Sri Lanka. Currently, he has been in self-isolation and his quarantine period is ending on January 13. As the result, he was not able to train with the team for the match. As a result, England needs to add one of the three spin bowlers who traveled with the squad as a reserve.
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England’s Coach Silverwood expects to examine the pitch of Galle before making any official decision. England is going to train at the stadium on Monday afternoon. If the pitch looks spin-friendly then England might be going to play with 3 spin bowlers.
“They’re in the group, they’re here, so they’re available,” Silverwood said. “We’ll have a look tomorrow, and then we’ll make a decision on where we go. We travel with such a large group now, so should any eventuality come up then we’ve got it covered.
“We’ve got Dom Bessand and Jack Leach in the front line and Rooty [Joe Root] can be effective as a spinner, but we’ve not seen the pitch down in Galle yet. We’ll see that tomorrow and conversations will go from there. We can play plenty of spins if required to.”
Silverwood also confirmed that Moeen Ali was not going to play the first Test Match against Sri Lanka. He also said that Ali was feeling ok from a physical point of view. But the given conditions may affect his involvement in the second test. According to the Sri Lankan rule he has to spent two weeks in the hotel room isolation before he is able to train with the team.
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“He’s looked good on tour so far,” Silverwood said. “He’s worked hard at home before we came out here and he’s prepped very well. When we were in South Africa, the red-ball squad were training hard in the marquee at Loughborough. It’s just a case of making sure he feels confident on Thursday in that final XI and that he goes out and performs.”
England is going to play 2 Test match series against Sri Lanka which is going to starts from January 14. After this series, England is going to play with India.