Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali says education is not prioritised when it comes to tackling racism in English cricket.
In 2023, a report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) found that racism is “entrenched” in English cricket.
Moeen, who played nearly 300 games for England including 68 Tests over a decade, told Sky Sports he believes racism in English cricket is normalised, saying “people don’t know they’re doing it half the time”.
He said: “One thing a lot of people probably won’t know about me personally is that I would call it out. Especially as I got more established. And unfortunately you kind of feel like once you’re established you’ve got a voice.”
Moeen, who became the first British Asian to captain England in a T20 international when he led the side against Australia in 2020, believes education is key when tackling racism in the sport.
“I don’t think it’s prioritised enough, not at all,” he said. “It doesn’t mean you have to have a PhD or anything, it’s just knowing a little bit.”
Moeen made 298 appearances for England across the formats (68 Tests, 138 ODIs and 92 T20Is)
‘I always focused on performing on the field’
In November, the ECB published equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) action plans including the ambition to train 2,000 staff across cricket in inclusion and tackling discrimination following the ICEC report.
They are currently halfway through a programme to educate 150 leaders within the game, including county chairs and CEOs, on racial literacy.
They have also developed new talent identification workshops with a focus on reducing bias and run anti-racism events for people working in cricket, delivered through the Race in Cricket Network.
When speaking about how he coped with racism, Moeen, who ended his England career with 6,678 runs, eight centuries, 28 fifties and 366 wickets across all formats, said his philosophy was to focus on his performance on the field.
He added: “My dad always told me, if you score runs and you take wickets, even if someone holds something against you, whether it’s your religious background or your colour – whatever it is, they’re going to have to pick you at some point. As long as you keep knocking the door down.
“So that was my thing, it was like, ‘forget what people think, I’m going to do well and if they pick me, they pick me, if they don’t, then they don’t’.
Moeen says people now feel more comfortable in highlighting discriminatory behaviour
“That’s me being in the present at the same time but it’s not always that easy for people and it’s not always as simple and straightforward as that.”
When the findings of the ICEC report were published, 44 suggestions for corrective action were made.
Six months later, the ECB launched a new independent regulatory body as part of a response to those recommendations, in order to “oversee the Cricket Regulator, the new investigation and prosecution unit established in December 2023” and to “scrutinise and advise the ECB Board on cricket’s policy, approach and legislation in regulatory and integrity matters across the game”.
‘It’s very important to call racism out’
Moeen said one positive thing to come from Azeem Rafiq speaking out about the racism he faced at Yorkshire County Cricket Club is that more people feel they now have a voice and are more likely to report racism in cricket.
“There’s also ways of calling it out. It’s not arguing or fighting, it’s maybe taking someone to the side or even as a joke saying, ‘look, what you’re saying is not right’,” he said.
“I think I had a good way of saying it or calling it out and I think that’s also very important.
Moeen on calling out racism: ‘Timing is very important – you don’t have to say it in front of a large group of people and embarrass the person’
“The timing is very important – you don’t have to say it in front of a large group of people and embarrass the person, because he hasn’t meant it or it’s just normalised and he just doesn’t know.
“People are ignorant about things and I’m ignorant about many things as well so I understand what it’s like and I think it’s very important that you also know the situation that you’re in.”
Moeen, one of the country’s most high profile Muslim sportspeople, says he helped educate his England team-mates about his faith.
“I think that gap has been closed – not completely, but I think it is closer together than it’s ever been. Especially around the England changing room,” he said. “Guys who interacted with me probably didn’t have that same interaction or as close interaction with other Muslim people.
“I just hope that even one person has been like, ‘you know what, Muslims are not bad people and they’re just normal or good, whatever it is’, because there’s a lot of negativity around that sort of subject anyway.
“My role as a person, as a Muslim, is to show people – not tell people – that actually, Muslims are not bad.”
The all-rounder will retire from county cricket after this summer’s Vitality Blast with Birmingham Bears
Ali enjoys being role model – and padel!
Moeen recently announced plans to retire from county cricket this summer after a player-coach stint with Warwickshire in the Vitality Blast. Now, he is finishing his level-three coaching qualification which he hopes to complete by the summer.
“I really enjoy the team environment. I enjoy inspiring, motivating and helping, really, so I will hopefully get the rewards of people performing for England,” he said. “It’s about the players and trying to improve people, not just as players but as people.”
Looking back on his England career, in which he also played 138 ODIs and 92 T20Is, Moeen says although being “part of the furniture” for 10 years was a great achievement, the best part was being a role model.
“The things that really stick out are when people say, ‘my kid loves cricket because of you’ or ‘my son’s a big fan or my daughter’s a massive fan’,” he said.
“Even now, when I see people in public who watched me and supported me throughout my career, I can see the delight in their faces, which for me is the most important thing.”
After taking a step away from cricket, Moeen is now spending time on the padel court whenever he can.
“It’s very addictive. I’ve been playing for a year and I love it. Everywhere I go now, I try to play padel.”
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