Australia will continue to attack Moeen Ali throughout the Ashes, despite the ploy backfiring in the first Test.

Darren Lehmann’s men made a concerted effort to hit Ali out of the attack in Cardiff, giving him the same treatment they always dish out to the opposition’s spinner.

It proved unsuccessful.

Ali claimed the scalps of Australia’s two classiest players of spin, Michael Clarke and Steve Smith, in the first dig.

Both batsmen were out dancing down the wicket.

Clarke chipped a delivery back to Ali, while Smith popped up a catch after awkwardly chasing at a ball fired down the leg side.

Ali also snared three wickets in the second dig, including the crucial dismissal of David Warner prior to lunch on day four as Australia suffered a 169-run loss.

“We won’t be changing. We’ll be going after him,” Lehmann said.

“But he bowled well, give him some credit.”

Lehmann fully expected England to target Nathan Lyon throughout the series.

“They’ll go after our spinner. That’s the way the game is played these days,” he said.

“That won’t change with England.

“It won’t change for us.”

Ali was in a selection showdown with Adil Rashid prior to the first Test, but the uncapped legspinner will struggle to play this series based on what happened in Cardiff.

England coach Trevor Bayliss was full of praise for the way Ali mixed up the pace, angles, flight and bounce of his offspinners.

“It’s all about taking wickets … if spinners are bowling too flat and too fast there’s not going to be any spin,” Bayliss said.

“I think against the Australians if you’re bowling straight, they’ll make you pay.

“If you can get the ball to move in different directions, the batsman has to make a decision and that’s when mistakes can happen.

“I thought he bowled very well.”