It has been a whirlwind year for Moeen Ali: he made his England Test debut, scored one of the classiest centuries by any batsman in 2014 and showed that his off‑spin is far from being part-time, with 19 wickets in the Test series victory over India. Amid the many highs, however, the 27-year-old had to deal with some events that might have thrown a lesser man off kilter: both the furore that surrounded his decision to wear two wristbands in support of Gaza during the Southampton Test match and being booed by his hometown crowd at Edgbaston when England took on India in their final match of the summer.
“The only thing that really hurt me was the booing,” Moeen says. “Actually I won’t say it hurt me, it was more disappointing that I live 10 minutes away [from Edgbaston] and I’m getting booed by people who I feel I’m supposed to represent, which is a big shame. I don’t know what it is, maybe it’s because my background is from Kashmir. People have the right to support who they want of course but I’m hoping in the future maybe they or their kids will become England fans and players.”
Moeen has always wanted to show that you can be British, Asian, Muslim and proud of your country and your community. “I think players like myself and Ravi [Bopara] need to get out there and tell people that it is about playing for our country and playing for England,” he says. “Sometimes in Asian homes it is all about where we’ve come from which is important too, but it is about where you live and where you’re born and the people who are the same as you.
“The booing made me realise that there is a lot of work that needs to be done. There is more that people, like myself, can do to promote the game and change minds a little bit to support England. I have had a lot of Indian friends come up and almost apologise for the booing and say: ‘We’re really behind you.’ I know it’s a negative thing but I think there’s a bit of positive that can come out of something like that.”
Here Moeen returns to a theme he speaks about a lot: his own role in inspiring young people, particularly those from Asian communities. “We need to visit schools and clubs for free – just go out and do it, coaching and spending time with people,” he says. “I think that would definitely help. I know personally as a young player when coaches came to my school that is someone you want to be like and I think that helps massively.”
It is his father, mentor and inspiration, Munir Ali who has helped embed this sense of responsibility in Moeen. Munir runs a coaching academy in Birminghan, which he manages and pays for himself. “I coach for my dad’s academy,” Moeen explains. “Sometimes it’s just about being there – it’s not just the coaching – it’s seeing that you are there to inspire or they are trying to impress you.”
“There have been some very, very good players who have slipped through the net; either through meeting the wrong people or feeling like they wouldn’t progress and giving up. But I think my dad’s academy is one of the best. The first reason he does it is to take people away from the streets and doing all the wrong stuff and for those kids to learn a range of skills”.
“You’d be surprised how many very good players we have there – and for them to see people like me playing for England, they see that you can have a living from playing cricket. That is what we are hoping: we are hoping to change people’s lives”
Moeen’s immediate focus is England’s forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka and he has revealed before the team’s departure on Sunday he would like to be England’s opening batsman in one-day cricket and that he will be leaving his doosra delivery firmly in the locker for the foreseeable future due to the International Cricket Council’s new zero-tolerance approach to bowlers with suspected illegal actions.
“I think I was reluctant [to bowl it] anyway because it was not as good as the rest of the guys doing it but definitely I won’t bowl it now because of the additional scrutiny,” says Moeen. “I don’t think I will bowl it in the World Cup. A lot of people and experts are saying you have to bend your arm to bowl it. I don’t agree but it is a tough one and I don’t want to risk not playing for England because of that. I don’t want to get banned from bowling.
“Personally I think it is a great skill to be able to spin the ball both ways as an off-spinner. I always felt the doosra was a great innovation and skill.”
Given England have lost five of their last six one-day international series, the expectations surrounding the team are at an all-time low before the tour and next year’s World Cup, but Moeen believes the fact they are playing one‑day cricket exclusively for the next five months will work in their favour.
“You’ll find the team will be a lot more settled by the time the World Cup arrives,” he says, before expressing uncertainty about his own role in the team.
“I don’t know, to be honest,” he says. “I don’t know if I’m going to play, bat No3, No7 or somewhere else. Hopefully over a long period of time I can concentrate on one role.
“I’d love to open. I’ve opened throughout most of my career at Worcester. I understand there are guys in the team who have opened for a long time, more than me, with better records than me. I’ve only played a few games. But my long-term aim would be to open in one-day cricket for England.”
Investec, the specialist bank and asset manager, is the title sponsor of Test match cricket in England. Visit investec.co.uk/cricket or follow @investeccricket
