An England fan has helped solve the team’s spin bowling crisis by sending Moeen Ali a hand gel made from honey to heal his sore finger and he now believes he will be fit to play a full role in the remainder of the Ashes series.
Moeen suffered from a badly cut index finger during the first Test at Edgbaston when he returned to red ball cricket after a two-year absence. He was unaccustomed to bowling with the Dukes ball, which has a pronounced seam that caused a blister on his bowling hand.
It limited him in the second innings of that match and forced him to miss the second Test at Lord’s while it healed. It was after Edgbaston that an England supporter wrote to him suggesting he used a hand gel made from Manuka honey. She sent him a tube, which costs around £18, and it has worked. Moeen says he is now fully able to bowl long spells without pain or discomfort.
“This lady after the first Test sent me a letter. She said I’m a big fan of yours and I saw the wound and cut on the finger,” he told Telegraph Sport.
“I want to send you some stuff to help. She sent me this thing called Medihoney. It is a healing anti-bacterial gel made of manuka honey. It has worked wonders and started healing extremely fast.
“She just said she used it. and works for the NHS. I’m going to email her back after the series [to say thank you]. I find it an amazing thing. I am playing cricket and somebody who has never met me is generous enough to do that. That is why England is an amazing place because of things like that. Now I will carry on bowling to keep it as hard as it is. I want to keep bowling every 2-3 days to toughen the skin up.”
The Medihoney gel claims to heal skin. Moeen has been so impressed he has passed it on to other spinners in the game. Friars balsam, white spirit and even dipping the finger in urine are old tricks passed down the generations by spin bowlers to help toughen their skin. Manuka honey is a more palatable healing tool.
Moeen bowled only 26 overs at Headingley with conditions suited to seam but his bowling is likely to play a much bigger role in the final two Tests at Old Trafford and the Oval. He is unlikely to extend his return to Test cricket beyond this series, and will return to the franchise league market. He only came out of retirement in an emergency after Jack Leach’s injury.
He is expected to continue at No 3 at Old Trafford after filling the role in the second innings at Headingley. It allows Harry Brook to bat in his preferred position at No.5. England will start training in Manchester on Monday.
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