Former English all -rounder Moeen Ali says education is not prioritized when it comes to tackling racism in English cricket.
By 2023, a report from the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) found that racism is “rooted” in English cricket.
Moeen, who played nearly 300 matches for England, including 68 tests over a decade, told Sky Sports He believes that racism in English cricket is normalized and says “people don’t know they do it half the time”.
He said, “One thing that many people probably don’t know about me personally is that I would call it out. Especially when I became more established. And unfortunately you feel kind of when you are established you have a voice.”
Moeen, who became the first British Asian to Captain England in a T20 international when he led to Australia in 2020, believes that education is key when tackling racism in the sport.
“I don’t think it’s a priority, not at all,” he said. “It doesn’t mean you have to have a PhD or something, it’s just knowing a little bit.”
‘I always focused on appearing on the field’
In November, the ECB action plans published ECB Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), including the ambition to educate 2,000 employees across Cricket in inclusion and tackle discrimination after the ICEC report.
They are currently halfway through a program to educate 150 leaders in the game, including county chairs and CEOs, about breeding knowledge.
They have also developed new talent identification workshops focusing on reducing bias and running anti-racism events for people working in the cricket delivered throughout the race in Cricket Network.
When he talked about how he handled racism, said Moeen, who ended his England career with 6,678 races, eight centuries, 28 fifties and 366 wickets across all formats his philosophy was to focus on his performance on the field.
He added: “My dad always told me if you score running and you take wickets, even if someone keeps mind you, whether it’s your religious background or your color – whatever it is, they’ll have to choose you at some point. As long as you continue to knock the door down.
“So that was my thing it was like,” forget what people think I will do well, and if they choose me, they choose me if they do not, then they will not. “
Moeen says people now feel more comfortable to highlight discriminatory behavior
“It is me who is in the present at the same time, but it is not always so easy for people, and it is not always as simple and straightforward as that.”
When the results of the ICEC report were published, 44 proposals for corrective actions were made.
Six months later, the ECB launched a new independent legislative body as part of a response to these recommendations, to “oversee the cricket regulator, the new investigative unit established in December 2023” and to “investigate and advise the ECB board on Cricket’s policy, approach and legislation in regulatory and integrity issues”.
‘It’s very important to call out racism’
Moeen said a positive thing comes from Azeem Rafiq, who was talking about the racism he faced in the Yorkshire County Cricket Club is that more people feel they now have a voice and are more likely to report racism in the cricket.
“There are also ways to call it out. It is cranky or fighting, it might take someone to the side or even as a joke that says, ‘Look what you’re saying isn’t right’,” he said.
“I think I had a good way of saying it or calling it out, and I think it’s also very important.
Moeen about calling racism: ‘Timing is very important – you don’t have to say that in front of a large group of people and bother the person’
“The timing is very important – you don’t have to say it in front of a large group of people and bother the person because he hasn’t meant it, or it’s just normalized and he just doesn’t know.
“People are unaware of things and I am also unaware of many things, so I understand what it is like and I think it is very important that you also know the situation you are in.”
Moeen, one of the country’s most high profiled Muslim athletes, says he helped educate his England teammates about his faith.
“I think the gap has been closed – not quite, but I think it’s closer to each other than it has ever been. Especially around England dressing room,” he said. “The guys who interacted with me probably didn’t have the same interaction or so close interaction with other Muslim people.
“I just hope that even a person has been like, ‘you know what, Muslims aren’t bad people and they are just normal or good no matter what it is’, because there is still a lot of negativity around that kind of topic.
“My role as a person, like Muslim, is to show people – not tell people – that Muslims are actually not bad.”
Allrounder is retiring from the county crick after this summer’s vitality blasting with Birmingham Bears
Ali enjoys being a role model – and paddle!
Moeen recently announced plans to retire from County Cricket this summer after a player-coach-Stint with Warwickshire in Vitality Blast. Now he ends his level-three coaching qualification, which he hopes to complete in the summer.
“I really enjoy the team environment. I enjoy inspiring, motivating and helping, really, so hopefully I will get the benefits of people who appear for England,” he said. “It’s about the players and trying to improve people, not only as players but as human beings.”
Looking back on his England career, where he also played 138 ODDs and 92 T20i’s, Moeen says being “part of the furniture” for 10 years was a great performance, the best was to be a role model.
“The things that really stick out are when people say, ‘My child loves cricket because of you’ or ‘My son is a big fan or my daughter is a massive fan’,” he said.
“Even now, when I see people in public who saw me and supported me throughout my career, I can see the joy of their faces, which for me is the most important thing.”
After taking a step away from cricket, Moeen now spends time on the paddle court when 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 paddle.”