Moeen Ali is expected to continue his break from Test cricket despite talks with Joe Root and the England management this week.
Ed Smith, the national selector, will name England’s squad for the series in South Africa on Saturday, with Jonny Bairstow, Jimmy Anderson and Mark Wood tipped to return after missing out on the 1-0 series defeat in New Zealand.
But Moeen is not expected to be among the touring party. The 32-year-old agreed a spell out of Test consideration at the end of the season after being dropped one match into the Ashes and then omitted from the list of Test central contracts.
The latter decision by England has had a knock-on effect, with Moeen’s value as an established international cricketer on the global T20 circuit now greater than the overseas tour and match fees earned by a non-contracted player.
On Friday he was signed on a £150,000 deal to play for Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League, the side being run by the former England team director, Andy Flower, and England’s head analyst, Nathan Leamon.
The PSL runs from 20 February to 22 March, the back end of which coincides with England’s two-Test tour to Sri Lanka. Root and the selectors will likely touch base with Moeen again before that squad is picked, given the off-spinning all-rounder was central to the 3-0 series win there last year with 18 wickets.
Moeen’s absence means Matt Parkinson is expected to continue as one of two spinners in the England Test squad who depart for South Africa on 13 December, although his Lancashire teammate, Saqib Mahmood, may be the seamer to make way for the returning Anderson and Wood.
The pair, on the comeback trail from calf and side injuries respectively, are in South Africa as part of a fast-bowling camp, which has been forced to move from Potchefstroom to Cape Town owing to bad weather.
Bairstow is also on the trip reconditioning his batting against the red ball. His inclusion in the England squad who play four Tests, starting on Boxing Day, will provide proper cover for Jos Buttler behind the stumps even if the management are keen for him to force his way back into the side as a batsman.
England squad (possible): Sibley, Burns, Denly, Root (capt), Stokes, Pope, Buttler (wkt), Curran, Leach, Archer, Broad, Woakes, Anderson, Wood, Parkinson, Bairstow, Crawley.
