Moeen Ali interview: I'll take fight to boo-boys, says England bowler

As he showed with the wristbands supporting Palestine, the England spinner is not slow in expressing his beliefs. He tells Stephen Brenkley being barracked by India fans has made him determined to justify a deep loyalty to his place of birth

Moeen Ali in action for England (GETTY IMAGES)

Amid all the sights and sounds of a turbulent English summer, perhaps the saddest came towards the end. Two England players of Asian heritage were constantly jeered by the crowd during a Twenty20 international between England and India in Birmingham.

It followed less strident examples of boorish behaviour in other matches and it made for uncomfortable listening and viewing. The unwarranted intervention asked questions about the state of play in a multi-faith, multicultural society – and sport – which remain unanswered.

Moeen Ali, who will next week embark on his first overseas tour with England for a one-day series in Sri Lanka, reflected yesterday on that disagreeable afternoon. He and Ravi Bopara, respectively of Pakistani and Indian heritage and both born in England, were the butt of utterly unjustifiable derision. It came from India fans, most of whom were themselves born in this country, and was dispensed purely because Moeen and Bopara were playing for the land of their birth.

“The only thing that really hurt me was the booing,” said Moeen in the Writing Room at Lord’s yesterday. “Actually, I won’t say it hurt me, it was more disappointing that I live 10 minutes away and I’m getting booed by people who I feel I’m supposed to represent, which is a big shame.

“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. My dad was obviously very upset because it was the first time the family had come to watch me play an international game in Birmingham, but I’ll never forget it.”

Moeen has already proved himself to be an admirably thoughtful cricketer, who has horizons well beyond the game. He had an entirely satisfactory inaugural summer as an England international, scoring a maiden Test hundred against Sri Lanka and taking 19 unexpected wickets with his off-spin against India.

But it was arguably as a Muslim and wearer of the most prominent beard in English cricket since W G Grace that he made his greatest impact. Perhaps he was ill advised to wear wristbands in the third Test against India at Southampton, which bore the messages “Save Gaza” and “Free Palestine”, since it was hardly the appropriate forum. They have since been auctioned, raising £500 for charity. But it showed that here was a player prepared to talk and think about a little more than putting the ball in the right areas and executing his skills.

Two months after his treatment at the hands of fellow Asians he is insistent that more can be done not only to avoid similar incidents but to encourage a broader view. He is willing to get out there and promote it.

“I don’t know what it is, to be honest, I’ve thought about it and I think players like myself and Ravi need to get out there and tell people that it is about playing for our country and playing for England.

“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. It just 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.”

Mooen Ali celebrates taking a wicket during the controversial Twenty20 match against India at Edgbaston (GETTY IMAGES)

Moeen’s father, Munir, runs a cricket academy aimed at inner-city kids in Birmingham, and Moeen said: “It is white kids, Asian kids, black kids and I think it is really important for kids to mix like that and learn about other cultures.”

He sensed that there was a greater edge to the treatment he received, that the booing for him and Bopara was different. His ancestral background in Kashmir may have been the cause, but whatever it was it should not have happened and the cricketing authorities should try to ensure that it is not repeated.

“In this case, I think alcohol played a large part in it, in my opinion. The boos got louder during the day and I think there were also people out there who just jumped on the bandwagon a bit. I was just glad to field the last ball when we won.

“Because of the booing and stuff there has been a lot of support,” he said. “I have had a lot of Indian friends come up and almost apologise 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. There are people who have thought about it now and thought, ‘Actually we are English, we are born in England’.”

Moeen leaves for Sri Lanka uncertain of his role in the one-day team. He featured in the last one-dayer against India, an overdue victory at Headingley, as the side’s latest No 3, the seventh this year. Maybe he will be given a run there, although the likelihood is that Ian Bell will go in behind the new first-wicket partnership of Alastair Cook and Alex Hales. Unlike many players at the start of their international careers, Moeen is unafraid to express precisely what he wants.

“I’d love to open,” he said. “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-time aim would be to open in one-day cricket for England. But I’d be very happy at three.”

His bowling is an additional and more relevant string to his bow than it might have appeared when he was first selected. An intervention by Bell in the Southampton nets – fundamentally he advised bowling his off-spin quicker and straighter – had immediate benefit and may have far-reaching consequences for English cricket.

It remains slightly difficult, however, to envisage Moeen as England’s front-line spinner. In the one-day side he would have to displace James Tredwell. He has dispensed with the doosra, noticing the huge number of off-spinners lately to have been reported for throwing. “A lot of people and experts are saying you have to bend your arm to bowl it. I don’t, but it is a tough one and I don’t want to risk not playing for England because of that.”

The ‘Free Palestine’ bracelet worn by Moeen Ali (PA)

Moeen toes the party line in suggesting that England can surprise a few people, including most of their own followers, in the World Cup, which starts in February. He believes that the concentration on 50-over cricket between now and then – the tour to Sri Lanka will be followed by a triangular tournament in Australia just before the World Cup – can mould the team.

“I see us as underdogs as a team, nobody is expecting us to win the World Cup, but we all believe we can,” he said. “I think we should embrace that a little like Worcestershire – nobody expects us to go up. I think we can take a lot from that. In sport, the underdog does come out on top quite a bit.” It might make a cool wristband.

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