England all-rounder Moeen Ali has been fined on his Test return for applying an unauthorised drying spray to his bowling hand on day two of the Ashes curtain-raiser at Edgbaston.

Umpires had expressly prohibited players from using any agents to their hands without prior approval ahead of this highly-anticipated LV= Insurance series between England and Australia.

The International Cricket Council accepted Moeen’s use of the spray, which was spotted by television cameras in the 89th over of Australia’s innings, was an attempt to reduce perspiration and not a more serious charge of trying to alter the condition of the ball.

However, he was found to have displayed conduct that is “contrary to the spirit of the game”.

As well as being docked 25 per cent of match fee, Moeen has been hit with one demerit point after admitting a breach of article 2.2 of the ICC code of conduct for players and player support personnel.

An ICC statement said: “England player Moeen Ali has been fined 25 per cent of his match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC code of conduct during the first Test against Australia in Birmingham on Saturday.”

It was an unwanted birthday present for Moeen, who turned 36 on Sunday and is making his comeback to Test cricket after almost a two-year absence.

Moeen has played exclusively white-ball cricket since September 2021 but answered Ben Stokes’ SOS earlier this month after first-choice spinner Jack Leach went down with a back injury.

His fortunes fluctuated with the ball on Saturday as he ousted Travis Head before snaring Cameron Green with a beauty, castling his fellow all-rounder through the gate with a viciously turning delivery.

He also conceded 124 runs in 29 overs while there were question marks about the condition of his bowling fingers afterwards, which have given him trouble in the past – most notably when he cut his index digit ahead of the 2017-18 Ashes, a tour where he struggled.

England assistant Paul Collingwood said on Saturday evening: “I think spinners generally get wear and tear in their fingers. Generally I think you’ve just got to grin and bear it.

“Part and parcel of a spinner’s job is they’ve got to grip the seam and give it a rip. All spinners have blisters and callouses on their spinning fingers. He’s no different to anybody else.”

Moeen bowled four overs in the first hour on Sunday.