Moeen Ali said his appointment as England vice-captain for the fourth Test against India starting today was an example of the “beauty of sport” after he was not even in the squad at the start of the series. 

The off-spinning all-rounder finds himself deputy to Joe Root at the Oval with Jos Buttler on paternity leave and Ben Stokes still unavailable due to mental health issues. “It sounds amazing,” Moeen told reporters on Wednesday.