England give Moeen Ali time to prove fitness for Lord's

England expect all-rounder Moeen Ali to be fit in time for the start of Thursday's second Ashes Test against Australia at Lord's.

The off-spinner has been rested from bowling duties in practice so far this week with what England captain Alastair Cook said Wednesday was a "bit of a sore stomach".

Cook added: "He's pulled up a bit stiff from the first game, but hopefully he'll be alright. He's pretty good.

"We'll make the final call tomorrow (Thursday)."

Ali impressed with both bat and ball during England's dominant 169-run win in the first Test in Cardiff last week.

He made 77 in England's first innings and took five wickets in the match overall including the key dismissal of opener David Warner just before lunch on the fourth day which sparked an Australia slump that saw four wickets lost for nine runs.

Ali missed the start of England's recent tour of West Indies due to a side strain, but Cook said Wednesday that his latest fitness problem was not a recurrence of the same injury.

Leg-spinner Adil Rashid is in line to make a Test debut if Ali is ruled out of playing at Lord's this week
Source: AFP