England's head coach, Brendon McCullum, has affirmed that England will maintain their confidence in spinner Moeen Ali and wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow in the upcoming second Test against Australia, scheduled to commence at Lord's on June 28. Bairstow is returning from an injury, while Moeen was recalled after regular spinner Jack Leach's injury.
In the first Test at Birmingham, England suffered a two-wicket defeat, with both Moeen and Bairstow struggling to find their rhythm against the Australians.
Moeen Ali, who came out of retirement from red-ball cricket, delivered figures of 2-147 off 33 overs in Australia's first innings, as the visitors amassed a total of 386. In the second innings, Moeen conceded 1-57 runs in 14 overs, but Australia managed to secure a close two-wicket victory at Edgbaston.
Bairstow, who sustained a freak injury during a golf incident, scored a rapid 78 runs in the first innings but could only contribute 20 runs in England's second innings. More crucially, he missed a few chances as a wicketkeeper, costing England dearly.
One notable incident was Bairstow failing to go for Usman Khawaja's catch in James Anderson's over during the second innings. He also dropped Alex Carey twice and missed a stumping opportunity against Cameron Green.
However, despite these setbacks, McCullum has expressed his support for both players, provided they are fit to play in the second Test.
The English team remains confident that Moeen Ali will be available for selection at Lord's, and they are determined to stick with the 36-year-old spinner despite his less-than-ideal figures of 3-204 at Edgbaston.
"I'm pretty confident that we can get on top of Moeen's finger," stated McCullum, referring to a finger injury Ali sustained during the first Test. "That will give us an opportunity to select him in the next game, and if he's available, he will be selected. I thought Moeen did a great job. He bowled a couple of absolute gems in the game, and that's what his role was, to try and make breakthroughs when he had the opportunity," added McCullum, the former New Zealand captain who is currently coaching England.
In addition, McCullum defended England's aggressive approach during the first Test, emphasizing that it was the right tactic. He confirmed that England will continue to adopt the same style of play moving forward.