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On Saturday, five overs before the end of play, Moeen was observed fielding at the boundary line and using a drying agent on his bowling hand without the umpires' permission. The England cricketer who came out of retirement recently admitted to using an unapproved drying chemical on his bowling hand during the first Ashes Test and was penalised with a fine equal to 25 per cent of his match fee and one demerit point.
The judgment was made by the International Cricket Council, which acknowledged that Moeen, who is playing in his first Test match in over two years this week, only used the spray to dry his hands and not in an effort to change the ball's condition. But this gesture went against the umpires' pre-series directive that players cannot use anything on their hands without permission.
An ICC statement said, “England player Moeen Ali has been fined 25% of his match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the first Test against Australia in Birmingham on Saturday.”
As per the official statement, Ali was found to have breached Article 2.20 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to displaying conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game.
