England and Australia are forced to evacuate Edgbaston because the stadium’s fire alarm interrupts Moeen Ali’s press conference before the first Ashes Test.
- Moeen Ali came out of Test retirement to join England for the vital Ashes series
- England enjoyed an exciting first year under new Test captain Ben Stokes
- His press conference in Edgbaston on Tuesday was interrupted by the fire alarm
England and Australia had to evacuate Edgbaston on Tuesday as a fire alarm went off at Moeen Ali’s press conference.
Spinner, who had come out of a Test retirement to save England after Jack Leach was ruled out of the Ashes with a stress fracture in his back, was speaking to the media when alarms sounded around the stadium.
Players, staff and media from both camps were forced to exit Edgbaston and congregate outside in a car park before being allowed to return some 15 minutes later.
Edgbaston will host the first ever Ashes test between England and Australia on Friday.
The hosts enjoyed a productive first year under new captain Ben Stokes, who inspired his team to play positively and aggressively with that bat.
England and Australia had to evacuate Edgbaston on Tuesday due to a fire alarm
Moeen Ali came out of retirement to save England ahead of Friday’s first Ashes Test
First choice Jack Leach was ruled out of the series due to a stress fracture in his back
Australia head into Group A in impressive form after a 209-run win over India last week
Together with coach Brendon McCollum, Stokes won 11 of his 14 matches as Test captain and caused a stir ahead of England’s historic series with the Australians.
Meanwhile, Australia made clear why they have held on to the Ashes since 2015 with a convincing 209-run victory over India last week, with both Steve Smith and Travis Head scoring impressive centuries.
Ali, calling time on his Test career to focus on white-ball cricket in 2021, decided the prospect of an Ashes series under Stokes and McCullum was too exciting to turn down.
When asked why he made the decision to come out of retirement he said: ‘I only think because it’s The Ashes and it’s a big series – and the exciting cricket that men play. It’s the kind of style I would love to play. The Ashes is very big and having a chance to play in it is really cool.
