England off-spinner Moeen Ali has been fined 25 per cent of his match fee and handed one demerit point for using an unauthorised drying agent on his bowling hand in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Sunday.

The ICC accepted Moeen, who is making his Test return after a nearly two-year absence, used the spray to merely dry his hands and was not attempting to alter the condition of the ball.

However, in using the spray, Moeen — who turned 36 today —had contravened a pre-series instruction telling players they could not put anything on their hands without the approval of the umpires.

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

“Ali was found to have breached Article 2.20 of the ICC code of conduct for players and player support personnel, which relates to displaying conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game.

“In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to Ali’s disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period.”

With England players being paid some £15,000 ($19,000) per Test, Moeen’s fine amounts to £3,750.