Moeen Ali has said that coaching England is his ultimate dream, while accepting there is plenty of work to do first. The former England all-rounder, now 39, still plays domestic and franchise cricket, turning out this summer for Yorkshire in the T20 Blast and Southern Brave in The Hundred.
First steps into coaching
Ali has begun exploring coaching, including England Lions programmes. He was on Andrew Flintoff’s staff at an England Lions white-ball camp in the UAE in February, and he is now studying for his ECB Level Three qualification.
He compared the path to his early playing days, when representing England was the big ambition: as with coaching, you never know how things turn out. Playing commitments have made Lions work difficult, he said, but he expects to be much more available next year. After this winter he will be freer, and he is happy to work with the Lions, the under-19s or whichever group is needed, to gain experience and put in the hard yards.
Concerns about England’s batting
Ali has already thought about where he could help. Drawing on his international career, he feels England’s batters can be badly exposed by balls attacking stumps and pads, leading to many bowled and lbw dismissals.
His answer is more technical coaching. He sees many coaches taking a hands-off approach as long as players are happy, whereas he believes players like to be told things and do not hear enough of it these days.
For now, the priority is experience and qualifications, but the long-term aim is to lead England’s men from the coaching box.
