Moeen Ali is ready to trade his bat and ball for a coach's hat. The former England all-rounder has made it clear that coaching the national team is his "ultimate dream," and he is preparing to put in the hard work to get there.
Having retired from international cricket in 2024, the 39-year-old is still active in domestic leagues. He currently plays for Yorkshire in the T20 Blast and Southern Brave in the Hundred. However, he is already laying the groundwork for his next career phase. Earlier this year in February, he mentored the England Lions in the United Arab Emirates, working alongside former teammate Andrew Flintoff.
With New Zealander Stephen Fleming recently taking over the Test team from fellow Kiwi Brendon McCullum, the lack of homegrown
coaches in English cricket has become a major talking point. England's managing director, Rob Key, has acknowledged this gap and promised more opportunities for local coaches. Moeen, who boasts 298 international caps and two World Cup medals, presents himself as a strong future candidate.
"I've been asked about doing Lions stuff quite often, but it's been pretty difficult while I'm still playing. I think next year I'll be a lot more available to do that," Moeen told the Press Association.
"After this winter, I'll be free to coach. Whether it's the Lions, the under-19s, whatever they want, it's something I'm really looking forward to doing. I want to gain my experience and put in the hard yards as a coach. "
Moeen, the first British Asian to captain England in T20 cricket, knows that reaching the top job requires patience. He is currently working towards gaining his England and Wales Cricket Board Level Three Qualification.
"The ultimate dream is to coach England, of course, but I know there is a lot of work to put in before that," he said.
"When you're a young player learning to play county cricket, the dream is to play for England, and it's the same with coaching. You never know how things turn out. "
Despite being known for his aggressive batting and flamboyant spin bowling during his playing days, Moeen's coaching style is rooted in traditional technique. He feels that the absolute basics are often ignored in modern cricket.
"With England batters in particular, we can get exposed big time - lots of bowled, lots of lbws," he explained. "It's about coaching technique, more than anything. I see a lot of coaches who are hands-off and let players do their thing, as long as they are happy. But players like to be told sometimes, and they don't get told enough these days to be honest", Moeen concluded.
