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Moeen Ali entered Test cricket record books on Day 2 of fourth Ashes 2023 Test at Old Trafford, Manchester. Ali became the first ever spin all-rounder for England to achieve the double of 3,000 runs and 200 wickets in Test cricket. Ali achieved the feat in the first session of Day 2 after Chris Woakes completed his fifer to restrict Australia to 317 in the first innings.
Ali is the fourth England all-rounder to achieve the feat. The first on the list is Ian Botham who has 5,200 runs and 383 wickets from 102 Tests. Botham is followed by Andrew Flintoff who scored 3,795 runs and had 219 scalps from 79 Tests. Ali's current teammate Stuart Broad is on the list too with 600 wickets and 3,640 runs from 166 Tests.
Overall, Broad is the 16th Test cricketer to achieve the major feat. Ali is also the fifth spin all-rounder on the list of legends. Australia’s Shane Warne (708 wickets, 3,154 runs), New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori (4,531 runs and 362 wickets), India’s Ravichandran Ashwin (486 wickets and 3,129 runs) and Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan (4,454 runs and 233 wickets) are other four spin all-rounders.
The 36-year-old is also the fourth-fastest to achieve the feat. Ali did it in his 67th Test. Shakib is the fastest as he did it in his 54th Test followed by Botham (55 Tests) and New Zealand's Chris Cairns (58 Tests).
On Day 1, Ali bowled a total of 17 overs and got the big wicket of Marnus Labuschagne. The off-spinner broke the fourth-wicket partnership between Labuschagne and Travis Head. Labuschagne was the joint top scorer for the Pat Cummins-led side with 51 runs from 115 deliveries including six fours.
On Day 2, Australia’s tail did not wag. First, James Anderson ended his wicketless spell with the wicket of Cummins. Then Woakes completed his fourth Test fifer with the wicket of Josh Hazlewood.
Meanwhile, England skipper Ben Stokes continued to back Ali at no.3. He walked out to bat in the third over after Mitchell Starc dismissed Ben Duckett. At the end of first session, Ali was unbeaten for 31 off 44 balls.
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