While his injury-affected bowling was smashed around at Edgbaston on Sunday, it was announced Moeen had been fined 25 per cent of his match fee and handed one demerit point for having used a drying agent on his bowling hand without the umpires' permission in the first Test.
Moeen, making a comeback to the long game after being asked to come out of red-ball retirement to replace the injured Jack Leach, breached Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct on Saturday's second day in Birmingham for an act considered "contrary to the spirit of the game".
The incident occurred in the 89th over of Australia's innings, when Moeen, evidently already having problems with his spinning finger after a two-year red-ball lay-off, sprayed a drying agent on his bowling hand on the boundary edge before coming on to bowl the next over.
He was deemed to have defied umpires' pre-series instructions about players not using anything on their hands without prior approval.
Moeen admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Andy Pycroft, negating the need for a formal hearing.
Pycroft ruled Moeen didn't use the spray as an artificial substance on the ball and it didn't change the condition of the ball, so he was not in breach of the ICC's "unfair play" rules.
"One demerit point has been added to Moeen's disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period," the ICC said in a statement.
But Moeen was still struggling with his release on Sunday, having to leave the field for treatment after four overs in which he mixed a couple of ripping, turning deliveries with some rather loose balls, conceding three sixes.
Usman Khawaja struck one blow early, while a waist-high full toss was deposited over the deep midwicket fence by Pat Cummins, who smashed a straight six three balls later. Moeen headed to the pavilion for treatment at the end of that over.
His finger problem after such a long break from Test cricket will be a major concern for England, as Moeen is their only front-line spinner.
Assistant coach Paul Collingwood had noted on Saturday evening: "Spinners generally get wear and tear in their fingers. Generally, I think you've just got to grin and bear it.
"Part and parcel of a spinner's job is they've got to grip the seam and give it a rip. All spinners have blisters and calluses on their spinning fingers. He's no different to anybody else."
