Moeen Ali has been fined 25% of his match price and handed a demerit level on his return to red-ball cricket after spraying "a drying agent on his bowling hand" on the second day of the first Ashes Test.

Moeen admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Andy Pycroft, the match referee. "In reaching his decision to sanction the player, the match referee was satisfied that Ali had used the spray only to dry his hands," the ICC stated.

"The spray was not used as an artificial substance on the ball and consequently it had not changed the condition of the ball, which would have been in breach of clause 41.3 of the ICC playing conditions - Unfair Play - The Match Ball - Changing its Condition."

Moeen is returning to Test cricket after an absence of almost two years and bowled 29 overs on the second day, taking 2 for 124. He has not bowled in a red-ball match since September 2021 and ESPNcricinfo understands that he has a small blister on his spinning finger because of the elevated workload.

During the 89th over of Australia's innings, Moeen was seen spraying a substance from an aerosol can on his bowling hand whereas fielding on the boundary, earlier than bowling the next over. The ICC stated he had defied "the umpires' pre-series instruction about [players] not using anything on their hands without prior approval".

This being a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct, one demerit level was added to Moeen's disciplinary document. It is his first demerit level within the final 24 months and he is not going to be suspended until he accumulates three additional factors within the subsequent two years.