Moeen Ali's rash shots given license by England in Ashes after answering Ben Stokes' call

The message flashing on Moeen Ali's mobile phone was simple and to the point. It came from England captain Ben Stokes, who had just learnt that his premier spinner — Jack Leach — was likely to miss the entire test series against Australia because of a back injury and was on the look-out for a replacement. The news of Leach's absence was quickly confirmed so Ali thought about it, and realized how much fun it would be to play for England again given the team's new-found attacking approach under Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum.