England all-rounder Moeen Ali has been recalled to the Test squad for the second Test against India. He is likely to play the Lord’s Test, to be played from August 12, in order to bring the balance in the playing XI.

Ali will join the squad during the training session on Tuesday and is expected to do the all-rounder’s job in the absence of Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes.

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It has been three Test matches since England are playing without a single spinner in their XI. The two-match Test series against New Zealand in June saw them playing with an all-seam bowling lineup. The same trend was followed during the opening Test against India at Trent Bridge as well.

However, Moeen Ali is all set to be drafted into the playing XI and is likely to replace Daniel Lawrence.

The 34-year-old has played only one first-class game in the last 23 months. He, though, is in good form as seen during The Hundred, where he notched up 23-ball fifty for Birmingham Phoenix and captained his team to the top of the points table.

His last Test match came against India in February, where he snared eight wickets in the game. He returned home after that game as part of England’s rest and rotation policy.

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Ali’s last Test on home soil came during the Ashes 2019, where he featured in the series opener at Edgbaston. He took an indefinite break from the red-ball format after that game and missed all the upcoming Test cricket action.

He has played 61 Test matches for England since making his debut in 2014. He managed to take 189 wickets at an average of 36, where he grabbed five five-wicket hauls and one ten-wicket haul. Along with the wickets, he scored 2,831 runs in Test cricket including five centuries and 14 half-centuries.