After Ollie Pope was ruled out of the series with a shoulder injury, England were left with a difficult decision over who to promote to No.3. They initially asked Harry Brook – who has predominantly batted at five in Test cricket – to do it at Headingley but that experiment lasted just one innings after England head coach Brendon McCullum informed Brook that he was to move back to five for the second innings.

With a position that needed filling, Moeen then volunteered to do the job for the second innings and despite only scoring five in the successful England run chase at Headingley, he stayed at three for the Old Trafford Test.

His 54 was his first Test half-century since the 2019 Antigua Test. Prior to this series, Moeen hadn’t batted in the top seven, let alone the top three, in Test cricket since the 2019 Lord’s Test against Ireland.

It was a knock that was typically pleasant on the eye, with Moeen unfurling a pair of glorious cover drives, one off Pat Cummins, the other off Josh Hazlewood.

During the innings, Moeen became the 16th player to complete the 3,000 run-200 wicket double in Test cricket.

You can watch Moeen Ali unfurl a pair of cover drives off Hazlewood and Cummins below:

Back at it after lunch, and it’s more of the same from Moeen Ali 🤩 #EnglandCricket | #Ashes pic.twitter.com/C2SfLojGws

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 20, 2023

✅ 2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ wickets
✅ 3️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ runs

Moeen Ali joins an elite club 👏 #EnglandCricket | #Ashes pic.twitter.com/aRhNU7a65k

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 20, 2023