PakPassion presents an interview with Worcestershire opening batsman Moeen Ali. 24 year old Moeen has played 65 first class matches and averages just under 35 with a highest score of 158 and has been selected for the Development squad that will travel to Sri Lanka this winter.

 

 

PakPassion presents an interview with Worcestershire opening batsman Moeen Ali.

24 year old Moeen has played 65 first class matches and averages just under 35 with a highest score of 158. A hard hitting left handed opening batsman and right arm off spinner, Moeen has steadily improved in recent seasons to become an integral member of the Worcestershire side.

Moeen earlier this year smashed 136 off only 90 deliveries against Sri Lanka in a 50 over match at New Road and has been selected for the Development squad that will travel to Sri Lanka this winter.

Moeen is definitely a player to keep an eye on and is without doubt knocking on the door of selection for the England Lions. Who knows maybe at some point in the future we'll see him playing for the full England side.

Top lad is Moeen, a pleasure doing the interview with him and big thank you to him for his time. Also a big thank you to our friends at Worcestershire CCC.

PakPassion.net: First of all Moeen, many many thanks for doing the interview with PakPassion.net. Real pleasure to speak to you.

Moeen Ali: Yeah no problem. Obviously I have followed PakPassion before quite a few times actually, so it?s a pleasure for me too.
 

PakPassion.net: Moeen, lets go back to the earlier days of how you got into cricket. Obviously you are from a cricketing family, a cricketing background. The Midlands, full of Asian cricketers. How did you get picked up by Warwickshire in the first place and what are your early memories of playing cricket?

Moeen Ali: I just remember playing in the park a lot with my friends and family and then watching my dad quite play a lot. We used to play as kids together watching my dad and my uncle play. And then the first time I went for a trial with a hard ball I was 9 year old going for an under 11 trial. I got in as a bowler-batsman. So that?s it and that?s where I got picked for Warwickshire. Then I worked really hard on my game and I got found at Warwickshire when I was 15.

 
PakPassion.net: How long were you at Warwickshire and why did you leave to go to Worcestershire?

Moeen Ali: I was at Warwickshire for 4 years. After I finished at U19 level I decided to go to Worcestershire. Purely because things were a little bit unsettled at Warwickshire at the time. I didn?t feel like I had a career there. Whereas when I went to Worcestershire I spoke to the coach and they were going through a bit of success at the time. I thought that Worcestershire having so many legends at the time like Vikram Solanki and Graham Hick, that playing with those guys will improve my game more than staying at Warwickshire.


PakPassion.net: Everyone has their cricketing heroes and idols who they look up to. Who were your cricketing heroes?

Moeen Ali: Early memories, one of my biggest heroes was Saeed Anwar. He was one. Then there was Brian Lara, Marcus Trescothick all good top order left handed batsmen were my heroes at the time. They were the type I tried to copy and wanted to be like. Then obviously Hashim Amla came and he really inspired me especially being a British Muslim. You know there was a time when there wasn?t many practicing Muslims playing cricket whereas you can see there is a lot more playing on the scene now.


PakPassion.net: You mention practicing Muslim, and obviously we are all proud of you being a practicing Muslim. How difficult is it to combine your religion and the county circuit with all the travelling and commercial assignments?

Moeen Ali: I am very fortunate actually, Alhamdulillah (praise be to Allah) that Worcestershire are making life so easy for me to give me time to pray. I don?t have an alcohol logo on my shirt. Whatever I want really, whatever I ask for, Worcestershire has always given to me, so obviously I am very thankful to them for letting me practice my religion and making it easy for me to practice my religion and play at the same time.

PakPassion.net: Onto your playing career. You are improving as a cricketer and you have caught the eye recently. What has been your cricketing highlight to date.

Moeen Ali: There have been loads of good memories. Obviously winning the Pro40 with Worcestershire. Playing for England U19 and playing for England Lions and I scored a hundred against Sri Lanka this year which was probably one of my biggest highlights this year and of my cricketing career so far.


PakPassion.net: Who?s been the toughest bowler you?ve faced in your cricket career so far?

Moeen Ali: There?s been many. If you look around the Championship, there are always one or two top bowlers around. There's many a name I can think of. Saqlain Mushtaq I found one of the hardest spinners I have ever faced to just pick in general. Steve Harmison at his peak I faced him once and he was the toughest fast bowler I?ve faced because of his height and pace and bounce. There has been plenty and you always come across 2 or 3 good bowlers from every county, but when you face the international guys you see and understand why they are international bowlers.

PakPassion.net: Who has had the biggest influence on your cricketing career? 

Moeen Ali: Definitely my family. My brother and my cousin ? Kadeer Ali and Kabir Ali. All three of us, our main inspiration have been our parents who have made a lot of sacrifices for our benefit. So the sacrifices and the hard work they have put in pushing us to become professional cricketers, you can never be grateful enough for that.

PakPassion.net: You mention Asian cricketers who are an increasing number at the moment in county cricket. There is a lot of talented cricketers in the Midlands area. You can go to any park and see so many Asian youngsters playing cricket, and they look pretty good. But very few of them actually make it to the county circuit. Why do you think that is?

Moeen Ali: I think a lot of it comes to the parents. If the parents really push them. I mentioned the sacrifices earlier. Taking them to places, spending a bit of money and getting the right coaching, etc. It is about batting and bowling, but a lot of it is about mental and fitness and things like this. I think some of the Asians we coach, they don?t fancy pushing themselves to this side of the game. But I think now things are changing and guys are more comfortable and want to be playing at this highest level and I think you do see a lot of kids, especially Asian cricketers coming through the age groups in most counties. 

A lot of them are talented cricketers, but there is a lot more to go with just being talented. The whole fitness aspect and a lot of it is mental as well. I think there?s quite a few things, that parents need to push them and the actual individual push themselves.


PakPassion.net: So if some of these school kids or college kids came to you for advice on how to make it into first class cricket, what advice would you give them? 

Moeen Ali: It?s the same advice I give them anyway that they come up to me as I do get these questions asked. It?s a lot of hard work, a lot of hours in the nets and the gym. You have to push yourself. Nothing comes easy. It?s like any job. If you want to become a doctor you have got to start from fresh and take you a good few years. Similarly in cricket, just because you can bat or bowl slightly doesn?t means that you are going to make it. You got to allow all this. The harder you work the easier it becomes. That?s what I was told when I was younger.


PakPassion.net: You played with Saeed Ajmal and Shakib Al Hasan at Worcestershire, how useful has it been to have two experienced international cricketers playing alongside you?

Moeen Ali: Those two have been phenomenal. Shakib, when he came over two years ago he took me to Bangladesh with him to play in their one-day competition and I learnt a lot there, playing in the same side as him, Tamim Iqbal, Azhar Mahmood and Mohammad Yousuf. We all played in the same team and obviously this is what every player dreams of doing. 

When Saeed Ajmal came, with my bowling he was unbelievable - probably one of the best overseas players I have ever met. He's so nice and friendly, works really hard on his bowling and you can see why he's such a good spinner in world cricket. He actually rang me not so long ago from Dubai asking me how I was doing and things like that. Just a phone call like that makes you appreciate players like him all over the world. 


PakPassion.net: He's a charming man is Saeed, wonderful person. Saeed sees himself as a bit of an all-rounder doesn't he?

Moeen Ali: (Laughs) He does! He does! He works hard on his batting. To be fair to him, I saw him play a very good innings for us [Worcestershire] against Yorkshire on a difficult wicket. He batted brilliantly, and got a beautiful 60 for us at the end, and they had Bresnan, Sidebottom and Ajmal Shehzad and he played really well against them.


PakPassion.net: Did he try to give you any tips about your own batting during the course of the season? 

Moeen Ali: No, he talked about his own batting ? he didn't give me any tips thankfully!  He's a legend ? a really nice guy.  


PakPassion.net: Did he give you any tips on your spin bowling? Any technical advice? 

Moeen Ali: Every time he bowled in the nets he made sure he took me across with him. I've faced him a lot in the nets, he enjoyed bowling at me and I enjoyed batting against him. 

He got me out a lot of times but also gave me a loads of tips and these are tips I'm hoping to use to become a better bowler. 


PakPassion.net: Can you pick his doosra now? 


Moeen Ali: No, you can never pick it! He's a crafty bowler and it's a very tough ball to pick. I did start playing him with a little adventure, but he was an unbelievable bowler. He is the best spinner I've ever faced. 


PakPassion.net: You've had a very good season ? you're a hard-hitting top order batsman whose bowling has also improved. Do you see yourself as a bowling all-rounder or a batting all-rounder? 


Moeen Ali: At the moment I see myself as a batting all-rounder, especially in one-day cricket. At the moment I'm the only spinner for Worcestershire in the four-day matches and therefore bowl quite a lot in four day cricket, but I don't see myself as a front-line spinner quite yet. 

In the one-day games, I'm part of a two-spinner bowling attack. I enjoy every game as it comes. As a spinner you tend to come into your peak between the ages of 24 and 26, and these are the years -InshAllah (God Willing) I'm going into now so it's something I will work hard at. I do want to establish myself as a genuine all-rounder.


PakPassion.net: What areas of your game do you feel you need to improve upon to become a genuine all-rounder? 


Moeen Ali: Both really ? batting and bowling, in all types of cricket. There are so many different types of bowlers now, especially in international cricket that you need to be good against spin, you need to be good against fast bowling and medium pacers. 

With respect to the bowling, I think I need to be more persistent in games and actually build a bit more consistency within by batting and bowling, I think that will hopefully push me onto the international stage. 


PakPassion.net: You obviously come from a Pakistani background. When Pakistan are playing against as they were last year, and they will be in the new year, what's the family divide like? Some supporting Pakistan, some England no doubt? 


Moeen Ali: Yes, definitely. That's the situation with most Pakistani families. I have friends who have been playing for England and Pakistan so I hope those do well. I just want to see a really good series. I think it will be tough for both teams in Dubai because England have a very very strong batting line-up and Pakistan have a very very strong bowling line-up so I think we will see a good competition in the test matches and ODIs. 


PakPassion.net: We have seen your name listed in the England touring squads, emerging player squads this winter, do tell us what you've been doing, what training you have completed since the season has ended. 


Moeen Ali: Since the season has ended, I've been working hard on my bowling and batting, especially batting against the spinners. I'm going to Sri Lanka to play first-class cricket for the first six weeks for one of the teams and then we have a three-week batting and bowling camp which will benefit my game perfectly. 

I've been working hard on all aspects fitness wise and go to the gym almost every day at Worcestershire and batting and bowling every other day so I've been working hard on all parts of my game. 


PakPassion.net: Where is the training camp being held? 


Moeen Ali: It's being held in Colombo, with the likes of Peter Such and Paul Johnson and Ben Smith as the coaches and I think we have a few Sri Lankan coaches as well so I'm really looking forward to it. 


PakPassion.net: The three-week camp in Sri Lanka is for young cricketers who the England hierarchy consider to be potential future internationals? 


Moeen Ali: Yes, I think so. I think it's going to be a big opportunity ? if I can improve and impress on that trip, it will hopefully push me towards the England Lions and then hopefully into the main England side. 



PakPassion.net: The next aim, once you've been named in one of the winter squads, must be to get into the England Lions and then into the full England squad? 


Moeen Ali: InshAllah. I have been working hard on bowling this doosra, hopefully I can get that right. I took a few tips of Saeed [Ajmal] and I have been working hard on it so I think if I can get that right and get by batting and bowling right, then hopefully I can take the big step into the main [England] side. 


PakPassion.net: A few of the Worcestershire players tell me of your professionalism and how well you look after yourself. Your little fridge in the dressing room is full of healthy things, no chocolates! 


Moeen Ali: (Laughs) I think someone is telling a few fibs there, I don't mind a few chocolates! I do look after myself, but you always have to treat yourself with a bit of chocolate. 

PakPassion.net: Moin, we wish you all the best for the future, but want to thank you on behalf of everybody at PakPassion for an excellent interview. 


Moeen Ali: No problem. Thanks.

 

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