Moeen Ali

Moeen Munir Ali is an English cricketer who has been a part of England's national Men's cricket team since 2014. He was born in Birmingham on 18 June 1987. Ali was part of England’s 2019 World Cup squad which lifted the title for the first time.

On the domestic level, Moeen plays first-class cricket for Worcestershire. Moeen also plays for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. Moeen is a left-handed batsman and bowls right-arm off-spin. Ali is widely popular for his beautifully concealed arm ball. 

Moeen Ali - Along the Years

Moeen Ali Records

Moeen Ali’s Test Records:

• Scored 1000 runs and took 100 wickets

• Scored 250 runs and took 20 wickets in a single series

• 8th highest number of catches taken in a match (4)

• 9th best strike rate in a single inning (238.88)

Moeen Ali’s ODI records:

• 5th best strike rate in a single inning (344.44)

• Third English spinner to take 100 ODI wickets 

Moeen Ali’s T20 records:

• Highest consecutive number of ducks (3)

• 8th highest number of ducks in the entire career (9)

• 10th on the list of most player of the match awards received (9)

• 10th on the list of biggest partnerships for the third wicket (135)

• Fastest fifty by an Englishman in a T20I (16 balls)

Moeen Ali Awards and Accolades

• Moeen Ali was nominated for the Best at Sport award at the British Muslim Awards in January 2015.

• Moeen Ali won Warwickshire's NBC Denis Compton Award consecutively in 2004 and 2005.

• In 2009, Moeen Ali won Worcestershire’s NBC Denis Compton Award.

Moeen Ali Career

Moeen Ali is a great all-rounder for whichever team he represents as he can whack the ball with sublime timing and bowl useful off-spin.

Moeen Ali Domestic Career

Moeen Ali was signed by Warwickshire at the age of 15. Moeen cemented his place in the team hitting a half-century for the county's Second XI in the early days of his career at Warwickshire. Following this he played U19 cricket against Bangladesh and the Indian cricket team.

Moeen made his first-class debut in 2005 against Cambridge University. Moeen succeeded in impressing with the bat, scoring 57 unbeaten in his only innings. He played his first List A games in 2006. At a List A game against Derbyshire claimed his maiden first-class wicket by dismissing Steffan Jones to claim his maiden first-team wicket.

Ali moved to Worcestershire making his debut in 2007. He also scored his highest first-class score of 250 against Glamorgan for Worcestershire.

Moeen Ali started playing for Mohammedan Sporting Club in the Ispahani Premier Divison of Bangladesh. Bangladeshi all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan suggested he join the club after Moeen wasn’t picked at the end of the English season of 2010. Shakib also played for Worcestershire in 2010 and that’s where both had met.

In the 2011 season, Moeen was chosen as the acting captain of Worcestershire as Daryl Mitchell, the designated captain was injured. He struck his first century of the season in July. However, his score of 158 wasn’t enough to save the match against Somerset as the team suffered an innings defeat.

In the first season back in the first division for Worcestershire, Moeen ended up with 930 runs in the County Championship and stood up as the second-highest run-getter for the club, just behind Vikram Solanki. Ali struck one century and averaged 33.21 in the tournament.

In the 2013 season, Moeen scored 1375 runs at an average of 62 in Divison 2. This was the best achieved by any batsman in first-class cricket. Moeen took a total of 28 wickets alongside 4 fifties and 8 tons in his batting. After this, the England Development squad called him up before the Ashes tour to Australia.

Appointed as the skipper in 2018, Moeen took the Rapids to a championship victory in the Vitality Blast. The year 2019 saw Moeen as the captain of a Worcester team that was close to retaining their T20 Blast title but ended up losing to the Essex Eagles on the last ball.

Ali as the captain was a key player in the team’s road to the final. He scored an unbeaten knock of 85 in the group stage against the Birmingham Bears. He brought up a brilliant century in the quarter-final match against the 2018 runners-up, Sussex Sharks.

In the semi-final, the team squared off against Nottinghamshire Outlaws. Finals Day 2019 saw a brilliant comeback from the Rapids after they went out to defend a target of 147 runs. With 11 required of the last two overs, the Outlaws were in the driver’s seat but Ali’s side made a great turnaround as the batting side lost three wickets in the penultimate over. With 2 runs needed for the final ball, Ben Duckett, the on-strike batsman swung the bat only to miss it and the Rapids progressed to the finals.

With 82/5, Worcestershire was in a comfortable position and was predicted to become the first side ever to retain the Vitality Blast Trophy. However, much to the Rapids' disappointment Essex Ragles successfully scored 12 runs in the final over and lifted their first T20 Blast Trophy.

Moeen Ali IPL Career

Moeen Ali made his IPL debut with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018. He played well with both the bat and the ball in what turned out to be a disappointing campaign for his team. He was one of the few players retained by the franchise for the 2019 season.

In 2021, Chennai Super Kings bought the English all-rounder for INR 7 crores. In the 15 matches for the franchise, Ali scored 357 runs and took 6 wickets in the season and was an important player in the team’s fourth title win. He was retained by CSK in the 2022 Mega Auction and scored 244 runs in 10 games and picked up 8 wickets as well.

Moeen was retained for the 2023 season and won the franchise’s fifth IPL title. Though he could not replicate the form that he had with the bat in the previous seasons, Ali bagged 9 wickets for the team in the season.

Moeen Ali International Career

Moeen Ali debuted in international cricket in 2014 against the West Indies. He has been instrumental across formats for the English cricket team, especially in the white ball format. 

Moeen Ali ODI Career

Moeen Ali made his One-Day International debut on February 28, 2014, against the West Indies cricket team. In his debut game, Ali scored 44 runs and even took his maiden ODI wicket. Ali impressed in the third match of the series as well, when he scored his first half-century.

Ali was a part of England's 2015 World Cup campaign in Australia. Ali scored his first World Cup century in the second match against Scotland, making 128 from 107 balls. However, Ali was ruled out of England's final World Cup game against Afghanistan.

Moeen has been an integral part of England's ODI squad since then. He played a crucial role in England's victorious 2019 World Cup Campaign.

On June 21, 2019, Ali played his 100th ODI match for England in the game against Sri Lanka. In July 2020, Moeen was made a part of the 24-man English squad to begin training behind closed doors for the ODI series against Ireland. A few days later, Moeen was appointed as the vice-captain for the ODI series.

Ali was part of the 15-member squad that represented England at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 held in India. As of 2024, he has scored 2355 runs in 138 matches and has picked up 114 wickets. He also became only the third English spinner after Graeme Swann and Adil Rashid to pick up more than 100 wickets in the format in an ODI against New Zealand in Southampton in September 2023.

Moeen Ali Test Career

Moeen Ali made his Test debut for England against the Sri Lanka cricket team in 2014. He was able to meet everyone's expectations when he made 48 runs in the first inning. Moeen was in sublime form in the second Test of the series, when he scored his maiden century and revived a struggling England who were crushed to 57 for 5. Moeen's efforts however ended in a losing cause.

Moeen featured in the Test series against India. In the very first match of the series, Ali took four wickets in the match. Ali proved his worth and cemented his position as a member of England's Test squad.

Over the years Moeen has produced excellent and match-defining performances for England in Tests.

Moeen featured in the Test series against India. In the very first match of the series, Ali took four wickets in the match. He scored 30+ in both the innings of the next game but England ended up losing the match. In the third Test encounter at the Ageas Bowl, Ali picked up his first five-wicket haul in Test match cricket with the figures of 6/67 in the second innings. He then picked four wickets in the next match including the big wicket of MS Dhoni.

In the 2015 Ashes series, Ali shined with the bat in the first match by scoring 77 runs in the first innings and even picked up two wickets in Australia’s first innings. He followed it up by taking 3/59 in the second innings and England won the match. He then had an average series with not many opportunities to bowl and scored a few knocks of 30 with the bat.

In the 2016 Test series, Ali went back to his original position of playing in the lower order against South Africa. Although he failed with the bat but took a combined 7 wickets in the two innings which helped England win the opening match. Moeen was adjudged Player of the match.

The next three games went average for the Englishman as he continued to struggle in both departments except for a fifty that he scored in the final Test. England won the series 2-1 against the Proteas.

Moeen scored an unbeaten 155 in the second test against Sri Lanka, a vital innings that helped England score big in the first innings, helping them seal the win.

In the opening Test against India, Ali struck a beautiful 117 as England scored a mammoth 537 as their first innings total. He took 2/85 and 1/47 in the two batting innings of India. The match ended in a draw. He took 3 wickets in the next test but failed with the bat in both innings and England lost by 246 runs.

The third Test was again a failure as he wasn’t able to go big with the bat or ball. In the fourth Test, he managed to score a half-century and took 2/174 with the ball in the first innings. He got out without scoring a run and England lost the game.

The final match saw Ali’s return of form and he scored 146 with the bat in the first innings. He got out for 44 in the second innings. Moeen’s contributions went in vain and England lost the series 4-0 to India.

In the 2017 Test series against the Proteas, Moeen Ali reached the 2000-run mark by picking 100 wickets in Test in just 38 matches, making him the fifth fastest to achieve this milestone. He also took his first ten-wicket haul in Test match cricket and became the second English player to score a fifty and take 10 wickets in the same match after Ian Botham.

In the third Test against the South Africans, Ali ended the match by taking a hat-trick, the first for an England spinner since 1938-39 and also the first hat-trick at The Oval. This was only the third occasion in Test history where a match had ended with a hat-trick, the first time in 115 years. Also, this was the first hat trick that included all three left-hand batsmen to be dismissed.

In the fourth encounter, he made 75 in the second innings and took a five-wicket haul for the second consecutive match and helped England win the match. He became the first-ever player to score 250 runs and take 25 wickets in a four-match Test series.

Moeen Ali took retirement from Test match cricket for England in September 2021. However, due to the unavailability of off-spinner Jack Leach, the England Cricket Board (ECB) requested the all-rounder to come out of retirement to play in The Ashes in 2023. Ali came out of retirement and scored 180 runs in 4 matches, including a half-century, and claimed 9 wickets in the series. He announced his retirement from Test cricket for once and for all after the culmination of The Ashes and had decided not to reverse his decision in the future.

In the 68 matches that he played, Ali scored 3094 runs at an average of 28.12. He also scored 5 centuries and 15 half-centuries in his Test career. He took 204 wickets to his name, including 5 five-wicket hauls and a 10-wicket maul.

Moeen Ali T20I Career

Mooen Ali made his T20I debut in the second game of the series against the West Indies. He was not given the chance to bowl and got out cheaply for just 3 runs. Ali was included in the 2014 ICC T20 World Cup squad and scored 49 runs in 4 games without taking any wickets.

He was again selected in the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup in India. He took a wicket each against the Windies and Afghanistan and even scored an important knock of 41 runs against the latter to keep their hopes of semi-final qualification alive.

He broke the record of the highest 8th wicket partnership in a T20 World Cup game in the same match. He partnered with David Willey and added 57* runs in the same match. In the semi-final game, he picked up 1/10 against the Kiwis. In the final against the West Indies, Moeen went back to the pavilion without scoring a run and did not bowl any overs in a match where England ended up on the losing side.

In September 2020, Ali took England’s captaincy in a T20I match against Australia in Southampton. With this, he became the first Asian-origin captain of the T20 side for England and the first Asian-origin Captain to lead England in any format since Nasser Hussain in 2003.

In 2021, Ali won the “Player of the Match” award in the second T20I against Pakistan. He was named in the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup squad and scored 92 runs along with 7 wickets in the 6 games.

He was appointed vice-captain of the T20 side for the West Indies tour in 2022. He captained the team in the third, fourth, and fifth T20I due to Eoin Morgan’s injury.

Ali was selected for the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 and was part of the squad that lifted the title in Australia.  In the 84 T20I games for England, Moeen has taken 45 wickets and has 1154 runs to his name.

Moeen Ali Captaincy

Moeen Ali has captained in the domestic circuit for Worcestershire. At the international level, Ali has captained the English team at the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2006 and has also acted as a stand-in captain occasionally for the senior English team, becoming only the second Asian-origin cricketer to captain England after Nasser Hossain. He has been appointed as the vice-captain of the English team in white-ball formats. 

Moeen Ali Under-19 Career

Moeen Ali was named as the skipper of the England team in the ICC U-19 World Cup 2006. He picked 7 wickets and scored 3 half-centuries in that tournament.

Moeen Ali’s Family

Moeen Ali is of Indian-Kashmiri descent. It was his grandfather who moved to England two generations ago. His grandparents lived in Mirpur. His grandmother Betty Cox, was of British origin. Other than English, Moeen can also understand Urdu and Punjabi.

He is often fondly called ‘the beard that's feared’ by his fans at the New Road. Ali's father was a taxi driver and a psychiatric nurse. He was friends with cricketers Kabir Ali who was also his first cousin, Naqash Tahir, and Rawait Khan and they grew up together on the same street. 

Moeen's father Munir Ali is a Psychiatric Nurse. His brothers, Omar Ali and Kadeer Ali are also cricketers and play English County cricket.

Moeen is married to Firoza Hossain. Little is known about his spouse other than the fact that she is perhaps a Bangladeshi, although that also hasn't been confirmed yet.

Moeen is a devout Muslim who abides by the laws of the Quran and doesn't smoke or drink alcohol. During his early days of struggle, Moeen found his biggest supporter in his father who used to sell chicken from his Toyota to help him pursue his dream.

Also, see - Jos Buttler biography

He is a very religious person and his county team of Worcestershire even provided him with a special prayer room. In the past, Moeen has shown concern about British Muslims joining terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda and ISIS and has tried to raise awareness towards the same.

Moeen belongs to a very simple family with a strong religious background. After retiring from cricket Moeen wants to own a chip shop and name it 'Big Mo's' and do mosque work.

Moeen Ali's Net Worth

As of 2024, Moeen Ali has an estimated net worth of INR 65 crores or USD 8 million.

Moeen Ali's Cars

Moeen Ali owns a Range Rover in his garage.