Test Match Special - The Ask Moeen Ali Special

Episode Date: June 12, 2022

Jonathan Agnew asks Moeen Ali your questions in the TMS commentary box.

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Now then Mowing, welcome. Welcome, Test Man Special. I know you were here yesterday as well, but it's your full proper lunchtime grilling. They're a friendly lot, our listeners. They're gentle. They're very good. They're always good.

You'll be all right. Actually, I'll tell you, it's going to be my question to start. Because Michael Vaughn, when I was on with him, was telling me about your 13-year-old nephew, 13-year-old nephew, who's playing for Warwickshire 2nd 11. that seems incredible

yeah he's I think this week he's gonna play left-hand batsman quite tall very very good player like he's started amazingly well in his very short career so far

but he's he's very confident quietly confident there's good shots there's just something about him and the way he plays and his character where you're thinking

he's going to play he will play What's his name? Isaac Mohammed Right His brother also plays Worcestershire's second team He's about 1617

He's on the academy They're both on the academy He's one's at Warwickshire One's at Worcester So yeah Looking good And he can stand up to men He's playing in men's club cricket

presumably Yeah he is He's playing men's club cricket He's played all the age groups At Warwickshire He's done really well He just looked very comfortable and from an early age

he was training at good speed on the machine sidearm at my dad's academy and he's good just something about him yeah

everyone raving about him 13 that does seem amazing that is amazing yeah good well good luck to him we'll be following him now into other questions

then Usman Khan how does it feel to have hugely inspired people from ethnic backgrounds that they too could represent their country and I'll link that with Haroon too.

It's fantastic Dubmo in the box. A very positive role model for the British Pakistani and Muslim community and he will move on to his but who were the toughest players you bat on a bowl against we'll come on to that in a second but that first one about

I mean I do feel representing such a large proportion of the country. I think initially when I sat out and I got picked for England I'd never thought about these things at all I've obviously like everybody else just thinking about playing for England doing well trying to establish

myself as a cricketer and then as time goes on people feel like you are their role model or it was almost put on me a little bit to be honest with you where you're representing a certain types of people etc and then you kind of just learn to live with it and and you try and be your best and end of the day it's for me the first and most important thing was to perform on the field for England and do well for the team and still think about my own career and then the other things just came with it really and that sort of responsibility

where what people have put on you then you, it is a bit of a burden and it's quite a heavy burden but you kind of learn to live with it and you know how to deal with it. Yes. Does it frustrate you? I mean, Leicestershire is my county and I still live down there.

Does it frustrate you that there is such it's a barrier or brick wall that Leicestershire does not have anything like the number of Asian players playing for that county as they should be looking at the population and there's Yorkshire does that frustrate you

have you got any solution at all it does it does frustrate you a little bit because there are good players out there and I think regardless if they're Asian or from a different background if they have if they're practice of faith or they don't whatever, you know, I don't think these things should come into it, but it is frustrating

and I think it's a bit of both, to be honest with you. I think the system which is changing and with time it will change more. But also, as I can only talk from an Asian sort of background is we also have our own internal issues and things that we also need to develop as people and going forward. What sort of things? So just things like, and this is from my own experience, being a bit more disciplined to be a professional sports person, learning to be more punctual, and these are just things from my own opinion

and my own experiences where we kind of lack and we need to learn these things as we go along. But yeah, it is frustrating because there are some very good players and I'll give you an example. Worcester have just signed a... guy called Kashif Ali who's 23 has been around training he's played a little bit in the leagues abroad done very well this year domestic cricket second team with a high strike rate in T20 like you can just see this guy and nobody was signing him and I'm like why why are we not signing this guy

and the guys and the answers you get are he's 23 why would somebody else have not signed him yet these kind of things and and those kind of answers are quite frustrating because just sign the guy I mean he's a good player why would you not sign him and stuff like that so that's frustrating it just seems to take a lot more time

than it should yes because signing someone like that who they becomes successful that's again is unlocking that it's unlocking the door isn't it which needs to be done of course and that's

that's the frustrating bit because there are good players out there for sure well let's have the second bit of Haroon's question who are the toughest players that you've batted against and bold against so far

so it's fairly standard question but come on you've played against some great players haven't you bowled and batted yeah many many players I've played against bowlers in particular were I actually find this is for a different reason

Nathan Lyon was quite difficult for me and I know he got me out a lot in Australia but it was more of a mental thing he had over me and when you have an ash is such a big series or a five-match series against the opposition what makes test cricket so good is when he's on top of you

or if you're on top of somebody or if you're on top of somebody that kind of brings in when either I come into bat he just came straight on and that is the difficult thing about test cricket and that's where people don't realize no respite

there's not exactly right and that is where it's really hard and that was a real tough period for me because I didn't feel like he was getting me out because he was bowling Jaffers or you know it was

he could have bowed under arm and he'd probably get him out honestly it actually felt like that you know just mentally... How do you get rid of that in your mind? How can you dispel that? The way I got rid of it is I got dropped and then I didn't play again which was probably the best way because it happened in Australia I came to England and played at Edgebast and

he got me out twice. It was just like it was just it just felt so relentless and the funny thing is actually before that in 2015 we played he didn't get me out once and I actually hit for a few runs he just had it over me and and met more than anything, mentally he was all over me. Was it anything to do with the fact that he was an off spinner as well? Because you hate getting out that. I mean, off-spinners hate getting out to off-spinners.

Not so much, no. Because, yeah, you obviously don't want to get out to the opposition spinner and stuff, but he is a very good off-spinner and there was, when I faced him before, he bowled beautiful shape on the ball, it was quite nicely accurate. But then, when I faced him

again in Australia, 2017, he bowed the same thing but quicker and I found that this guy is actually a very very good bowler his stock ball is really good particularly to left-handers so he was one quick bowlers quick bowlers I would say

there was obviously quite a lot of quick bowlers out there Mitchell Stark is quite nasty to face because he's got a real heavy ball even though you feel you can score because he goes full and tries to swing it. He's quite nasty, but the hardest is Pat Cummings. Really? Yeah, because he runs in just relentless at that length.

It doesn't do a lot with it, but he does not a big swinger of the ball, but he just gets that nip, but it's a length he keeps bowling. At that pace, he is very, very difficult. And I suppose later on, I'm watching you batting, and there's a short leg, there's two men out, and they're bombing you around those ribs. I mean, how can you play that? When you've got two out for the hook

and you've got a short leg, that's not easy, is it? I actually, so just before that period, when I played county cricket, I never ever felt like there was an issue with a short ball. And I got out a couple of times against India with a short ball. It was a ball before lunch at Lodz,

where I was in two miles. I was like, we were playing for the draw, and I didn't want to take it on, and I got caught in two miles, got out, and then India like I said in test cricket they keep coming at you with the same and then I found myself every test match I'm playing

against every opposition coming in at number 6, 7 short leg, two men back leg gully kind of thing and you're like... There we go yeah and that is very difficult for I think for anybody to first go in and the guys got the tails

it's not like they're warming up no they've already got somebody out just before you came in so I found that period very difficult and I had to change my technique I went with a higher backlift I had to try and lean forward and all that kind of stuff

which you do as a cricketer and that was a very difficult period of batting and then with white ball as well then actually white ball helped me because I got a lot of confidence just practicing the pull shot and getting under it and all that kind of stuff and then I felt like towards the back

and I wasn't too worried about that the short ball anymore and I didn't feel like I didn't feel like it was too fast or I couldn't play it I felt like my technique wasn't good enough for it Something scared, right No, no, yeah, exactly right

So I didn't feel like I was running Or I was, that it was more My technique, I just knew my technique wasn't good enough to deal with it And that was what I had to work out Yeah, yeah Batsman, who've been those that you've found most challenging?

Steve Smith was very challenging Where did you bow to him? Because he actually plays spin very, very well, like I just found whatever sort of plan I came with he was difficult he was obviously got the hunger for runs and I knew he could take me down in different ways

and that was difficult he can go over the top he can go through knock me around very difficult to bowl out but Miss Belhack actually was very difficult to bowl out because he he reversed swept me a lot and swept me a lot and then when I felt like he wanted to

he hit me over my head And as a spinner, I think that's the hardest. When guys sweep well and then they can hit you over your head. It's very hard to keep them quiet. And I think, I mean, the reverse sweep is a bit of a killer, isn't it? Yeah, they're playing that well. That really does message your line, message your field. Yeah.

I mean, I ended up getting him out a couple of times, but he was very difficult because he, like you said, the reverse, he was brilliant at it. It wasn't like some guy's reverse and I know they're not sure about it, so then you can set a kind of foot, but he was brilliant at it. And then when he wanted to, when I blocked the, the reverse and the sweep, he went over my head and that was, yeah, and that is very difficult. Yeah, yeah.

Mary in Durham, hello Mary, says I was interested to hear about your relationship with Brenda McCullum. What is it about him that makes him so good to work with? I was listening to this yesterday actually in the car. It was interesting. He's very, I got to know him in India playing in the IPL for RCB, and we just got on really well straight away. He is very, I would say he's very loyal, just very trustworthy and all these very good characteristics that he has. And just a nice guy, like good fun, likes having a bit of fun

and great to talk to you about the game and other things in life. He doesn't strike me as being a coach who just peers into a laptop all the time. No, no, no, no. He's very one-on-one, face-to-face, loves having a good chat with you. and I just feel like he was really interested in me as a person and away from the cricket side and then obviously we talked to cricket as well and we just got on really, really well

and we've always kept in touch here and there, you know, with messages but yeah, like just a really nice guy and I enjoy that side of him. Yeah, it seems Moe, that the opportunity here is that because he is so respected by your generation of cricketer at these all playing now, but it's not as though he's being involved in English cricket so he's too close to you all.

You know, you can respect him for what he's done, but there's often that bit of a gap, isn't there, between a player coming back as a coach if he knows everybody so well. Yeah. But that doesn't really exist so much. I know you've played against him, with him in the IPL, but...

Yeah, and you kind of... You know, like sometimes when you spend so much time with someone, they will end up letting the guard down and you probably see their insecurity. But I feel like he's such a genuine person that he... There's even his insecurities, whatever it is, it's there anyway, and he's very open. And as a player, like you say, in our generation coming up, we were amazed by the way he played.

Yes. Right or wrong, whatever people have their opinions, but it was just amazing that he was able to do that on such a stage, fearless kind of batting and still managed to score big runs in test cricket and in one-day cricket and T-20 cricket and stuff. So, yeah, just, and then you have that respect for somebody like that for what he's done in the game. And on top of that, being such a good guy, you kind of, yeah, you respect him immensely. He's got a harsh side to him, though. I've been watching what he'd been doing to Phil Tufnell in New Zealand,

chucking him off the Auckland Tower, 15,000 feet parish. He's got a hard side to him. I know, but I've heard that. He doesn't like doing that stuff himself. So, I mean, again, I was driving down listening yesterday. I mean, given that you have this relationship with him. I mean, do you think there's a chance for you to come back and play test cricket with him? I mean, with the fact that he's the coach and you've got Ben Stokes as captain,

I mean, does that change things for you? It does, yeah. I mean, he is a, he is somebody, and Stokesy, somebody, the type of characters they are that I think you would love to play. I think anybody would love to play for, first of all. Even guys who've probably been retired a very long time. don't look at me like that but they do have

there is something about them it is exciting first of all I think when in 2015 when we after the World Cup we changed the whole thing it was great to be part of that sort of cycle of change

and what you can do to make that change and whether it happens or not yeah I mean I've spoken to buzz a few times and stuff and I get obviously asked lot, but I don't want to disrespect

Leachie or whoever, you know, Parking, these guys, because they're there now and playing and I wish them all the best, but I did say to bad, look, if there's ever injuries and you needed somebody or you needed you felt like you needed me, then of course, give me

a call and I'll come and play. Yeah, but so what's stopping you playing at the moment then? So at the moment, obviously, I'm not in the side, and I did retire end of last season. So that, and that's it really... Why did you do that? He just sort of kind of what does the draw a line?

Yeah, and to be honest, I wasn't enjoying, when I came back to the test side and I played that someone, I just didn't enjoy the way we were playing. We were losing, obviously, a lot of games and all that kind of stuff. And I felt like maybe I was part of that and the team needed a bit of a change or I just didn't, I didn't feel like I was getting to that zone of playing test cricket and maybe it's because I've been out for a while

and yeah if I come back and I don't think I'll feel that under this new change they'd roll you back with open arms wouldn't they? They'd love to have it back yeah maybe but there's also you've got to respect the game

respect what's going on and the change room right now with the guys in there the guys who are there and playing right now for someone like Leachie and Parki who in my opinion they deserve to give in a run and play they should and I don't want to disrespect that

that's my biggest thing I get asked obviously quite often now it has changed but I also want to let them guys play I spoke to Basque actually this morning Brendan this morning and we spoke about possibly in the winter and stuff like that

with going to Pakistan for instance so yeah we'll see so you're officially unretired yet so the door is open yeah so that's official unretired yeah good lad well that That's good news.

I think people are really pleased to hear that. Well, brilliant. Duncan and Kiddiminster, however, I'm a huge Moines and Worcestershire fan. I'm concerned to read reports suggesting that Yorkshire may be interested in signing you. What are you say about that?

Yeah, obviously it's my last year at Worcester with the contract and stuff. And we're talking, I'm talking to them. I'm talking to other counties, etc., so. We'll see. I mean, I do, I've loved, and I do love playing for Worcester. I've been there for, I think, 14, 15 years now. Moved from Warwickshire from earlier then. And obviously, help me develop my game, play for England and all that kind of stuff.

But it is early in the season still for me, and it's not things I think are too much about going forward. So when the time comes, I'll make a decision properly, yeah. Going back to where you were with the role model side, do you think you've got a role model side, do you think you've got a role to play at Yorkshire, given what's been going on there recently? Would that be any part of your decision at all? No, I don't know. That would have no.

Like, if I did ever leave and go to Yorkshire, I would want it to be, for them kind of reasons. I think I think Yorkshire are doing a good job, and they will continue to do that. I don't think they need to sign me to make a publicity stunt almost. I think you've got to be, I'll go for cricketing reasons and if I

ever left it would be for them kind of reasons not for them reasons Sam in Shropshire has been a lot of debate about the future of test cricket if someone gave you the option of only playing in one format would it be test cricket ODI 50 over cricket

T20 cricket or even the 100 what would you choose what do you prefer what really zings you up I'm not this this is genuinely the truth If I was good in terms of, if I was a Joe Root and I did well, because Test Cricket is the hardest by a mile, I don't care what anybody says.

But if I was someone like Joe Root or Benstocks who do well in Test Cricket consistently, and I would be, of course, test cricket because I would enjoy it more because there's no, I'm sure they're stressed and stuff and that challenge, but I just felt like I had great days in test cricket but I also had a lot of bad days in test cricket and that was difficult to deal with I want to say great days I mean I scored a few runs I took wickets

winning games and they were amazing that felt the best and you don't get that feeling in any of the form of the game but the shorter format is a little bit easier in terms of that it's still hard but that intense that sort of focus on your game is not there

and you can relax a little bit more and I think it's easier for me in terms of the way I play the game to play the shorter format but answering your question test cricket is sorry test cricket is by far the best to play do you notice because of your age

and the time span that you've been in the game that there is a change at all but from the youngsters coming in that actually they're more motivated to play whiteball cricket rather than test cricket I mean can you actually sort of sense that Yeah, definitely sense that I think there is

and I think it's just the hype around the white ball games there's so much franchise cricket around there there's so much money to be made in franchise cricket so yeah I think there is a shift of focus but I also think it's going to change again now

I think in particular with the domestic wickets changing this year and getting flatter I think there will be a shift and there is a niche for test players there's plenty of whiteball players there's plenty of guys who can hit the ball a long way and stuff but I think there is a niche in the market

if I was a young batter coming through now I'd be thinking well test cricket is the way because if I'm going to play for England I've probably got more chance of playing test cricket and do you think for the youngsters coming and that you've dealt with Mo that there is still that real hunger to play for England

or is that now diminishing a bit because people think well I could get a nice franchise job all around the world I can be a nice franchise cricketer for the next 10, 15 years and I'll set myself out but that's actually what I'm going to aim to do. I think if there is, my advice would be

like I'm now playing a lot more franchise cricket than before. There's nothing like playing for England. Honestly, it's an international cricket. You can play, I'm sitting in the hotels playing franchise cricket thinking this is nowhere near as good as playing for England. Following the test scores.

Yeah, of course. And when I say playing for England is in any format either test matches, T-20s or 50 overs, there is nothing better than that. So that franchise is good and the money is good and stuff, but playing international cricket is the ultimate and it is the best. And that would be your advice.

Any youngster came up to you? Yeah, I said no. Play for England as much. Because then what happens, like in my cases, I played for England for quite a few years. Now I play franchise cricket, and I think that is the way to go, not the other way, not so much franchise cricket.

unless it gets you to England or international cricket but don't focus they focus on that international you can play the T-10 haven't you well that must be pretty frantic I watched a bit on the telly

that is it is an amazing format of the game honestly we play I think there's three games a night nobody watches nobody cares but there's sixes everywhere and there's spinners got no chance basically

how do you bowl in that I don't bow captain I don't bow myself at all that's a really good thing Jake what one piece of wisdom have you picked up in your career that you'd pass on to your younger self

so young Moe appears I presume he means cricketing wisdom I don't know or maybe in life you can you can expand it if you like become philosophical yeah I think if I was to say in cricketing terms first

I would say there are a lot more bad days than good days in cricket but the bad days are not as bad as I think they are so there's more going around in the world there's more going on don't worry about the actual game as much and as long as you work hard and you're focused you'll be fine

I think there was times where I would let things get to me during the game or after the game where now I look back and think actually it wasn't that much of a big deal at the time but I made it a big deal and that happens in cricket a lot of things very psychological isn't it I mean you've talked a bit about

more psychological about it like Nathan Lyon and so on I mean how do you get it so much is in the head isn't it? Part of being a successful cricketer at this level must be the ability to kind of I mean look at Stuart Broad his pubs burnt down

you know that's something that he was really close to and he's got to come out here and play playing a test match I mean he hasn't been out to see it it's only five miles away until I'm not going to see it until the game's over because I can't be affected by it

but then again all this stuff going on in the mind and what happens sometimes when something is that bad for Stuart for example I'm sure being on the field is probably the best thing for him because it takes his mind away from that although he won't be as focused

and he'll be hurt by what's happened I always find coming to a game and playing for England or playing in international So when you, you kind of takes you away from what's happening in life. And you're like, right, this is me at my safest, at my best, at my ultimate. This is what I was, I trained all my life to do. And it just takes you away from all that sort of negativity away from what's happening around the world. Yeah.

And how dependent on your teammates as well to know when you're in that sort of move, but you're thinking, oh, okay. So someone comes along and says, come on, I mean, go away with that, yeah. And that happened often. I didn't get down a lot and I wouldn't show it too much

when you come to cricket. But when other players are down, I feel like I was often one of the guys who would go to them and try and lift them and say, no, everything's okay kind of thing. And I think that was my probably biggest strength in the change room is, as much as I loved having fun

and cracking a few jokes and things like that, I really I say I cared for the players and I would try and lift people who are down about either their game or something else is going on and spend time with people and all that kind of stuff

John Hobdun what do we do to ensure our domestic cricket system continues to produce test match quality spin bowlers is there any can you wave a magic wand I think with the wickets game better

you will have more spinners will have to bowl proper spiners will have to bowl and not like your guys who bat and then roll a few overs out when you have a good wickets you'll end up

producing better spinners as the season goes on maybe potentially change when the times of when you play four-day cricket because then if you want to you want the wickets to be at the best so when obviously June, July August you probably want to play more championship cricket

should be playing rebel cricket then shouldn't they? I think so yeah I think for spinners, batters to bat long spinners to bowl long spells it's crucial I think seen bowlers will always be good fast bowlers will always be decent

but they're the two areas that we as a country need to work on Neil Matthews for England do you class yourself as a batsman who bowls an all-rounder or a bowler who bats depends on who was captain as cookies right next to me I know you be careful though

no no I was I came in the side as a batsman who bowled a little bit because I hardly bowled and then that was quick and then yeah I ended up being

a spinner who back to date which I didn't mind at all because I was in the team and as long as I was playing I was actually fine with it honestly stuck with a tail a bit though yeah that was the only thing the only thing was you didn't feel like

you could score a big inning or play but you kind of have to shift and initially it was actually good because I did quite well and then after when you don't score a couple of games you're like I just wish I could have a bit time in the middle

and stuff like that So, yeah, I mean, in the end, I ended up being more of a spinner, I think, than no batter, which was just fine because, like I said, I played. Ended up playing 60-od test matches, which was a lot more than I ever thought I was going to. I mean, I've been virtually everywhere. Haven't you up to number three? I mean, how did you feel about that at the time? I think when I was three at the time, I was playing well. I just did well in kind of cricket batting three.

And Rudy, I think, was struggling a little bit, and he asked me if I wanted to bathe three. I ended up batting three. I batted a couple of games, I think. two, three. Cook his last game was three and one after that and then back to number eight.

Yeah, that comes more or less from David Richards who's sitting on a beach in Croatia. I hope you're having lovely holiday day but hope you can get back.

I'm sure you'll be absolutely fine. Tony, have you managed to see your beloved Liverpool Oh, you're a Liverpool man? Yeah, I am, yeah. Oh, okay. Have you been?

I have been at the final which, the Champions League final which was honestly if that was my first ever game I wouldn't go to a football game again. It was a real bad experience. But luckily we were fine

We had a good team Yeah Well I think it was almost It was impossible to get away with it Honestly anyone away from it We were just lucky We wasn't right in the middle of it Yeah it was very difficult actually

Could you sense that from the moment We got there We just like it just felt We did two nights there One before the game One The night of the game And I just wanted to get out there

Yeah You're such a calm man though I wonder what he's about football football crowds as well you seem to be a complete antithesis really I enjoy watching the football I prefer to watch on TV actually because you end up getting all the analysis

and the replays etc but it is nice to experience live games and watch Liverpool play well I've seen you playing before it was banned by England you were quite nifty on the outfield I was okay I was all right no you were okay probably top goal scorer

Moe look it's lovely thank you we answer so many questions there that's really great thank you for having me Are they right? Do they leave? Off any light. Quick questions? Yeah, yeah, I was got away with that one.

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