Moeen Ali has moved closer to a Test return after being named in the 30-man England training group that will travel to the Ageas Bowl next Tuesday and begin preparations for the three-match series against West Indies.
The 32-year-old all-rounder made himself unavailable for Test selection during the winter – despite two requests to tour both South Africa and Sri Lanka – having experienced a degree of burnout following five years on the road as an all-format international. But Moeen is now involved as part of an enlarged red-ball group that will live and train at Hampshire’s home ground before the first Test on 8 July, the official squad for which will be decided following a three-day practice match the week before.
This training period will allow the England management to run the rule over a number of new faces before the behind-closed-doors series, with Jamie Overton, James Bracey, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Robinson and Amar Virdi in the setup for the first time.
Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jimmy Anderson (Lancashire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Dom Bess (Somerset), James Bracey (Gloucestershire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Rory Burns (Surrey), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Sam Curran (Surrey), Joe Denly (Kent), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Lewis Gregory (Somerset), Keaton Jennings (Lancashire), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Jack Leach (Somerset), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Craig Overton (Somerset), Jamie Overton (Somerset), Matthew Parkinson (Lancashire), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Dom Sibley (Warwickshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Olly Stone (Warwickshire), Amar Virdi (Surrey), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham)
Saqib Mahmood, Matt Parkinson and Lewis Gregory have been in Test squads previously but take the total of uncapped players in the group to eight – all of whom have a golden chance to impress the head coach, Chris Silverwood, and the captain, Joe Root. Three county head coaches have also been called upon – Kent’s Matt Walker, Lancashire’s Glen Chapple and Gloucestershire’s Richard Dawson – while Chris Read, the former Nottinghamshire captain, will work with the four wicketkeepers in the camp.
Paul Collingwood, one of England’s assistant coaches, has been held back in order to take charge of the separate limited-overs side that is due to play Ireland in three ODIs from late July; Carl Hopkinson will cover as fielding coach in his absence.
The players and support staff will all be subject to a rigorous Covid-19 testing regime that includes daily temperature checks and thermal screening. The Ageas Bowl, with its on-site Hilton hotel, will also be divided into zones to reduce crossover with staff and have signposted one-way systems for getting around on foot.
West Indies are due to join England in Southampton once they have completed their training period and warm-up matches at Emirates Old Trafford, the venue for the second and third Test matches that begin on 16 and 24 July respectively.