Jonny Bairstow urges England to 'get behind' under-fire Moeen Ali ahead of Ashes finale in Sydney

Mason Crane is pushing for his Test debut as England weigh up dropping Moeen due to his poor form in Australia

Moeen Ali could be dropped for the final Ashes Test in Sydney (Getty)

Jonny Bairstow believes England should stand by under-fire all-rounder Moeen Ali in next week’s fifth Ashes Test. Moeen has been struggling for form all series, averaging just 19 with the bat and 135 with the ball. But Bairstow said Moeen was “absolutely” still part of England’s first-choice XI and said the selectors should “get behind” him.

“The guy’s the second-fastest ever to 2000 Test runs and 100 Test wickets,” Bairstow said as the England side arrived in Sydney for the final leg of their Ashes engagement, having got the better of a drawn fourth Test in Melbourne. “It’s unquestionable to even think that he’s not in our best XI. He wouldn’t have played the first four Test matches if he wasn’t.

“There’s not many finger-spinners that will come to Australia and bowl teams out. It’s very important that we get behind Mo. He can take a game away from you, and whether it be the next game or the first Test in New Zealand, the capabilities of Moeen Ali are unquestioned.”

Moeen’s trials and tribulations – which stem partly from his promotion to No 6 at the start of the series ahead of Bairstow, only for the pair to swap places again for the Perth Test – have given rise to speculation that with one eye on the future, Hampshire leg-spinner Mason Crane might be in for a Test debut on what is expected to be a turning Sydney track.

But Bairstow said that even though the series is over England must play their best side, regardless of future considerations. “You’ve got to play your best team,” he said. “We’re still in it to win games of cricket. Whether that’s Mason playing, the XI will be going out to win this next Test match.

Jonny Bairstow believes England should support Moeen rather than exile him (Getty)

“Yes, the series has gone. But you can see from the spirit that the guys showed in the last Test match that by no means is the foot off the gas. We’re very proud to play cricket for England. We’re indebted to the guys coming out, the best fans in the world.

“We’ve been pretty close in all the Test matches, a session and a half either way. It was exactly the same in Melbourne. To put a substantial total on the board and then to apply ourselves with the ball like we did was a great effort, and in that second innings to have them effectively 16-4 gave us a really good chance to win that Test match.”