moeen ali hit the first six of the 2017-2018 ashes after being promoted to number six for the opening test at the gabba.
the worcestershire all-rounder came in at 163-4 and a slog sweep against one of the county’s 2017 overseas players, nathan lyon, sailed over the deep mid wicket boundary.
moeen was pushed ahead of jonny bairstow in the batting order – a rise of two places on what had become his accustomed number eight slot in recent series.
the 30-year-old ended the day unbeaten on 13 and added an unbroken 33 with dawid malan as england closed on 196-4 from 80.3 overs after choosing to bat before bad light ended play early.
lyon, who played four championship matches for worcestershire this summer, bowled impressively.
the spinner, who worked closely with the county’s young spinners during his spell at New Road, was unfortunate to remain wicketless as he closed with figures of 24-9-40-0.
lyon was also responsible for running out james vince for 83 with a direct hit from cover.
vince and mark stoneman (53) added 125 for the second wicket after the early dismissal of alastair cook.
