RACISM CLAIM

Moeen Ali alleges racial abuse by an Australian player during Ashes 2015

by Cricbuzz Staff • Last updated on

Moeen Ali played his first Ashes series at home in 2015. © Getty

Moeen Ali has alleged that he was subjected to racial slurs during the 2015 Ashes by an Australian player. The abuse is supposed to have taken place during the first Test in Cardiff, where the all-rounder had scored crucial 77 while batting at No. 8 and claimed five wickets in the game as the hosts cantered to a 169-run win.

"It was a great first Ashes Test in terms of my personal performance. However there was one incident which had distracted me. An Australian player had turned to me on the field and said, 'Take that, Osama.' I could not believe what I had heard. I remember going really red. I have never been so angry on a cricket field," he wrote in his autobiography.

"I told a couple of the guys what the player had said to me and I think Trevor Bayliss [the England coach] must have raised it with Darren Lehmann, the Australians' coach.

"Lehmann asked the player, 'Did you call Moeen Osama?' He denied it, saying, 'No, I said, 'Take that, you part-timer.'' I must say I was amused when I heard that, obviously I had to take the player's word for it, though for the rest of the match I was angry."

Moeen stressed the Australian players weren't intimidating but were just rude and disrespectful. "The first game I ever played against them, in Sydney, just before the 2015 World Cup, they were not just going hard at you, they were almost abusing you," he revealed. "That was the first time it hit me. I gave them the benefit of the doubt, but the more I played against them they were just as bad, the Ashes here (in 2015) they were worse actually.

"Not intimidating, just rude. Individually they are fine and the Aussies we've had at Worcester have been fantastic, lovely guys."

Since the ball-tampering saga earlier this year, the Australian cricketing culture has come under the microscope for the players' supposed lack of on-field ethics and integrity. Moeen said it was really hard for him to feel bad for the Australian players. "Everyone you speak to... they are the only team I've played against my whole life that I've actually disliked," he told The Times. "Not because it's Australia and they are the old enemy but because of the way they carry on and [their] disrespect of people and players.

"I'm someone who generally feels sorry for people when things go wrong but it's difficult to feel sorry for them. This ODI series they were very good actually; they'd been...humbled."

Moeen stressed one of the reasons he failed to perform in the 2017 Ashes tour was because he found it hard to switch off amidst the constant 'chirping'. He scored just 179 runs at an average of 19.88 in addition to the five wickets he picked up. "I found it very difficult in Australia to switch off," he revealed. "It was my first Ashes tour and I was desperate to do well and was really looking forward to it. I worked so hard on the short ball before the series began, maybe too hard.

"Then (Nathan) Lyon kept getting me out. I found that very hard to deal with. I never thought that I was a poor player of spin but I really struggled against him. I wasn't getting any wickets either. Things just got tougher and tougher.

"I expected Australia to be quite rough, but not as bad as this. I hadn't heard such comments for a long time. I got some of this abuse even in the practice games."

Cricket Australia to investigate claims

Reacting swiftly to Moeen's claims, Cricket Australia (CA) have confirmed that they are setting up investigations into the matter. "Remarks of this nature are unacceptable and have no place in our sport, or in society," said a Cricket Australia spokesperson.

"We have a clear set of values and behaviors that come with representing our country. We take this matter very seriously, and are following up with the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) as a matter of urgency to seek further clarification around the alleged incident," he added.

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