The Ashes 2023: England's Moeen Ali finds fan who cured finger injury
- Published
Moeen Ali will bat at number three for England in the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford
The fan who helped Moeen Ali cure the cut on his spinning finger has come forward after the England all-rounder revealed he lost her details.
Susan Thompson-Craig, from Norfolk, gave Moeen a gel made of honey that healed the wound.
Moeen said on Monday he misplaced the letter she sent him, then Thompson-Craig's partner contacted the BBC.
"I saw what was going on and believed if Moeen put this on his finger he would be alright," said Thompson-Craig.
Moeen came out of Test retirement to play in the Ashes after England's regular first-choice spinner Jack Leach suffered a stress fracture in his back.
In the first Test at Edgbaston, the nasty gash on his spinning finger restricted Moeen's bowling on a final day when England were beaten by two wickets.
He was left out of the second-Test defeat at Lord's but returned to play a key role in the third-Test win at Headingley.
"I got home after the Edgbaston Test and a few days later I got a letter from a lady who said her husband is a big fan of mine," said Moeen.
"They were watching and saw the gash on my finger and thought the Medihoney would really help me. I tried it and it really healed my finger straight away.
"It's amazing that someone had written to me about this. The only thing I'm really gutted about - I put the letter on the table in my house thinking after the series I will reply, now I can't find the letter.
"If the lady sees this, please get in contact because I really want to write back to say thank you."
Thompson-Craig's partner Derek, a huge cricket fan, subsequently sent a message to the BBC and her details have been passed on to Moeen.
"I saw how much of a big problem Moeen's finger was," said Thompson-Craig, who works in sales for Integra, manufacturers of Medihoney.
"I tracked down an address for him and sent him a load of bits and pieces, with a letter explaining that we work with the NHS and also that there was nothing in the product that would contravene drug testing or his Muslim faith."
Moeen Ali confident before fourth Ashes Test
Moeen's return to the England team now involves batting at number three for the fourth Test at Old Trafford.
With regular number three Ollie Pope injured, England employed Harry Brook in the first-drop position for the first innings at Headingley.
In the second innings, Moeen volunteered to move up to three, allowing Brook to return to his usual number-five spot, from where he scored a match-winning 75.
Moeen, who has batted in every position from one to nine in his 66-Test career, keeps the number three slot in Manchester.
"I saw after the first innings at Headingley how we went about it," said Moeen. "Not that we were bad or anything, I just thought Brooky's value at five and Jonny Bairstow at seven would be better for the team.
"I thought 'why not?' I've batted three before. I'm past the stage where it's about me, averages or anything like that. I've always been a player where I do what I feel like is best for the team."
Moeen also said it is "likely" his Test comeback will only last for this series, rather than being tempted to be part of the tour of India early next year.
If Old Trafford and the final match of the series at The Oval are Moeen's final two Tests, he is targeting a fitting finale with two wins that would give England a 3-2 triumph and a first Ashes series victory since 2015.
"It would be amazing," he said. "I came back to try to win the Ashes.
"My career has always been things just happen and things happen for a reason.
"I never thought I would be in this position. This was my month off, my first month off for ages. I was looking forward to that but this opportunity will never come again.
"I couldn't say no. All of a sudden I'm playing in one of the biggest series since 2005. I've loved it."