Moeen Ali Profile, Biography, Age, Country, Cricket stats, Wife, Height, Salary, IPL and more

Moeen Ali was tipped for the top long before he won his Test debut at the start of 2014. But, after building a reputation as an elegant batter, it was his off-spin bowling that earned him the call-up when England were left reeling from the surprise retirement of Graeme Swann.

While many critics dismissed him as a “part-time” bowler, Moeen had a record to compare with the best in county cricket over recent seasons. And while he suffered more than his share of ups and downs, for the next five years he manfully carried the load in one of the most under-resourced areas of the English game. When he was dropped during the 2019 Ashes, subsequently losing his central contract, it turned out to be the beginning of the end for Moeen as a Test allrounder; nevertheless, on calling time in 2021, he finished just shy of 3000 Test runs and 200 wickets, making him England’s third most-prolific spinner of all time.

He was also a 50-over World Cup winner, as well as a regular at the IPL – his flair for fast scoring and utility as an allrounder encouraged the decision to focus solely on white-ball cricket ahead of the T20 World Cup in the UAE. Moeen admitted that he felt his batting had been “wasted” in Test cricket, where he featured everywhere from No. 1 to No. 9, but there will still be moments to treasure, from an unbeaten hundred in his second Test to four centuries in the calendar year in 2016.

He also managed a Test hat-trick, against South Africa at The Oval in 2017, during a series in which he took 25 wickets and scored 252 runs, and played a significant part in England winning the 2015 Ashes, as well as the 3-0 whitewash of Sri Lanka in 2018-19. A measure of his abilities as a Test bowler was his six dismissals of Virat Kohli – the last of which, in what turned out to be Moeen’s final match, took him past Jim Laker’s 193 Test dismissals.

It was his batting that stood out during his early Test appearances. His outstanding 108 not out, spread over 6-and-a-half hours and 281 balls, against Sri Lanka at Headingley took England to within two balls of saving the series but, while he did unveil the first doosra bowled by an Englishman in a Test – developed after consulting Saeed Ajmal at Worcestershire – he initially struggled to offer his captain the requisite control in the field with his bowling.

That changed in training for the Lord’s Test against India. Encouraged by team-mate Ian Bell over the need to bowl quicker to survive in international cricket, Moeen benefited from a chance conversation with former Test offspinner Kumar Dharmasena, an umpire in the series and an onlooker at an England training session, who provided technical advice as to how to achieve the extra pace without losing any flight. It was to prove a pivotal meeting. Moeen was tighter at Lord’s, devastating in Southampton and excellent at Old Trafford as he finished the series with 19 wickets; the fourth-highest haul any spinner had claimed against India in a Test series outside the subcontinent.

Moeen had already made ODI and T20I debuts in the West Indies, before playing all four of England’s games at the 2014 World T20. And while he struggled to recapture his batting form after that maiden century in Tests, he took his chance when promoted to the top of the order in the ODI side by hitting a 72-ball century in Colombo and ended the year a regular in all formats.

Part of the team that failed abysmally at the 2015 World Cup, Moeen was also a key member of the revolution under Eoin Morgan, usually batting at No. 7 – from where he thrashed a 53-ball hundred against West Indies in 2017 – and providing spin back-up to his friend Adil Rashid. His captaincy skills also came to the fore, helping Worcestershire to secure a maiden T20 title and guiding Birmingham Phoenix into the final of the inaugural Hundred. In 2020, he became the first British Asian to captain England in a T20I.

He had looked destined for such success for some time. Signed by Warwickshire as a 15-year-old, he made a century on his first-class debut against Cambridge MCCU (he remains the second-youngest man to score a first-class half-century for the club) and Championship debut against Nottinghamshire but was dropped for the next game on both occasions. He also captained England Under-19s to the semi-final of the 2006 World Cup, blasted a 56-ball century in a U19 Test against Sri Lanka and, as a 14-year-old, smashed 195 not out in a Twenty20 match for his under-15 club side Moseley Ashfield. The next highest score was 11.

But, frustrated by a lack of opportunity at Warwickshire during Mark Greatbatch’s ill-fated reign as coach of the club, he left for local rivals Worcestershire at the end of 2006 and was a key part of the team that won the Pro-40 title in 2007. It included a 46-ball century against Northants in 2007; there had, at the time, been only one faster List-A century made in England in matches involving two first-class counties.

There were setbacks. Trying to combat a tendency to nick off, he went through a period of batting like Shivnarine Chanderpaul and then a spell of leaving balls that hit his off stump instead. But he made 1270 runs in 2010 and 1375 runs in 2013 – the year he won the PCA’s Most Valuable Player award – as he augmented his flair with increased discipline. All the while, his off spin continued to improve.

Moeen’s development had a significance beyond the playing field. Taking on the mantle of role model for fellow British Asians – a sector of society that county cricket has not always encouraged as it might have done – he also talked eloquently of his Muslim faith and grew perhaps the most noticeable beard in English cricket since the days of WG Grace. He became known fondly as “the beard that’s feared” at New Road.

Moeen Ali Biography

Moeen Ali Physical Statistics

Moeen Ali Profile

An English cricketer of Pakistani descent, Moeen Ali, played county cricket for Warwickshire before moving over to Worcestershire after the 2006 season. He enjoyed a successful stint at Warwickshire, winning the NBC Dennis Compton Award for two years in a row in 2004 and 2005.

He was a child prodigy and at the tender age of 15 rivalled many established cricketers. He was awarded the captaincy of England’s Under-19 squad for the 2006 World Cup and took the team to the semi-finals, a particularly impressive performance coming from a 11-0 drubbing received in Bangladesh, earlier that year. Moeen, continued to be a consistent performer for Worcestershire and was the acting captain at the start of the 2011 season as the usual club captain, Daryl Mitchell was injured.

Moeen had the most prolific championship season in 2013, scoring a whopping 1,375 runs in 17 First-Class games, which included four tons and eight fifties. His bowling was equally outstanding as he gathered 31 wickets. This strong display earned him the Professional Cricketers Association’s player of the year award, a place in the England Performance Programme tour to Australia and was also picked in England Lions’ trip to Sri Lanka. He then, made his ODI debut against West Indies in February 2014 and registered his maiden fifty in the third ODI. He also played the 2014 World T20 in Bangladesh.

It was Moeen’s off-breaks that earned him a call to the England Test side. After the retirement of Graeme Swann, England were searching for a spinner to take up the vacant role and they saw Moeen fit for the job. He made his debut against Sri Lanka at Lord’s and made 48 in his very first innings. During the second Test, Moeen showed his pedigree with the bat by scoring a patient 108 not out and almost saved the game for England, but failed to do so as the last man James Anderson fell to the penultimate ball of the game.

During the home series against India, Moeen bamboozled the opposition batsmen with his off-breaks. The visitors didn’t respect the off-spinner and kept giving him wickets. By the end of the series, Moeen had picked up 19 wickets and was the second highest wicket-taker for England. However, he could not contribute much with the bat as he failed to score a single fifty.
Coming back to the ODIs, after Hales failed to impress, Moeen was given the opportunity to open the innings in Sri Lanka. The Worcestershire man didn’t disappoint, as Moeen scored his maiden ODI ton at Colombo (RPS). Since that knock, he has made the opening slot his own. Having been picked for the 2015 World Cup, Moeen will be someone to watch out for, with both bat and ball.

Moeen belongs to a strong cricketing pedigree, with his brother Kadeer and cousin Kabir, both playing in the county circuit. Once termed as an elephant in the dressing room, Moeen Ali grew leaps and bounds post the 2015 World Cup and established a crucial spinner-cum-all-rounder slot in the Test side. During the Test series in India, Moeen struggled to match the quality of Ashwin and Jadeja, but made useful contributions with the bat. His breakthrough point in Test career came against South Africa at home, where he bagged 25 wickets whilst piling up 261 runs in 4 Tests for which he was accorded with the Player of the Series award.

The post 2015 World Cup England side has seen him explosive players and Moeen Ali is one among them. With ECB allowing their players to participate in the IPL, it was no surprise that Ali was one of the nine English players to be picked. Royal Challengers bought him for INR 1.7 crore.

He did not start immediately as the team preferred seam bowling all rounders like Woakes and de Grandhomme. But Ali did get a chance and in his fourth game, played a match winning knock of 64 and was involved in a 107-run stand with AB de Villiers where he outscored the South African. That small glimpse was enough to convince the RCB management to retain him for the next season. In the 2019 edition, Moeen struck two fifties and a couple of cameos for his franchise. However, in certain games Moeen was under-used by his team. With the ball, his economy rate was under 7. The Englishman left his team before the conclusion of the tournament to prepare for the World Cup.

Ahead of the 2021 auction, Moeen was bought by Chennai Super Kings for INR 7 crores and was retained for INR 8 crore ahead of the 2022 mega auction.

World Cup 2023 will probably be Moeen Ali’s last ODI World Cup, and the dashing all-rounder will certainly be looking forward to making it a memorable one by contributing in both the departments. He has the ability to mix caution with aggression, strike big sixes and his bowling in Indian conditions will also be an advantage for the defending World Cup champions.

Moeen Ali Career Stats

Batting & Fielding

Bowling

Moeen Ali IPL Auction Price History

Moeen Ali’s Social Media Accounts

Some Lesser-Known Facts About Moeen Ali 

• Does Moeen Ali Smoke?: No
• Does Moeen Ali drink Alcohol?: No
• Moeen belongs to a cricketing family, with his brothers and cousins representing various county cricket clubs.
• A separate prayer room has been provided to Moeen by Worcestershire, of which, he is a regular member.
• ‘The Beard That’s Feared’ is the saying, his fans were recorded quoting after some of his match-winning knocks.
• Mo being a cool personality, once responded to the abuse of a drunken spectator, saying “This is why we don’t drink. These guys are out of control”.
• Moeen is quite concerned over the issue of British Muslims getting attracted towards ISIS and Al Qaeda.
• It was in 2014 against Sri Lanka, when Moeen stood on the wicket for 20.1 overs along with James Anderson, adding just 21 runs. But, unfortunately, England lost the contest due to the dismissal of James in the last over.
• After retiring from International Cricket, Ali wants to start a chip shop named “Big Mo’s”, and, wants to clean the toilets in the local mosque.