In conversation with Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid

MANCHESTER: There are numerous cricketers of Pakistani descent who have represented England at the international level, from Kabir Ali to Owais Shah and from Ajmal Shahzad to Zafar Ali. Among them, there are two who got the limelight, not only for their outstanding performance but also for their religious background and they are Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid.

Moeen Ali was born in Birmingham, but his family is from Mirpur. The six foot tall Ali, with a long beard, represents – as he himself previously said – Muslim faith.
And according to him, playing international Cricket for England gives the opportunity to tell the world what Muslims actually are.

“Yes, we have to behave how Muslims should be and perform on the pitch, it’s a big responsibility,” says Moeen when asked if he’s looking to use Cricket to portray better image of Muslims in the West.

Moeen says he has been to Pakistan so many times but playing for England, his loyalties are purely with England.

“Purely with England,” Moeen replied when asked if being from Pakistani background divides his loyalties.

Same is the case with Adil Rashid who believes that his family, originally from Pakistan, has now started supporting England because he’s playing for England.

“I think before I started playing for England, they might have supported Pakistan obviously because they were born there, grew up there, but now they support England,” says Adil Rashid.

“But, playing against Pakistan is always exciting,” Adil added.

However, Moeen feels that his understanding of Urdu doesn’t always help him to understand what Pakistani players are planning against England.

Moeen, in the past, used to translate what Pakistani players were discussing for his English colleagues, but he now feels that Pakistani players may do opposite to what they’re saying on the field.

“Pakistani players are very clever, they do something opposite in Urdu on the field to what they are actually planning to do, so we have to be careful.”

“But, I can talk to Pakistani players in Urdu,” says Moeen.

For Adil, understanding Urdu while playing against Pakistan is something good and helps to keep the good spirit.

“We speak to each other in good tone, can have laugh with each other in Urdu, sometimes we speak Urdu, sometimes they speak English,” said Adil Rashid.
Both Adil and Moeen believe that Pakistan’s ODI team needs time to settle down and is going through the same phase England went through eighteen months ago.

“We were in same situation 18 months ago. We were not doing very well in One Day Cricket.

“I wasn’t surprised with Pakistan’s OD performance, it is a young team, it will take time. We did the same against Sri Lanka. But, in the lost ODI Pakistan played really well,” said Moeen Ali.

Adil Rashid believes that Pakistan team can rebuild soon.

“I saw the player, they were bit OK. They are still developing as a team, still lot of young players coming through. It’s a process they’re going through, like we were 18 months ago, as Moeen said.”

“If they carry on how they played in last ODI, then I think they’ll rebuild very quickly,” said Adil Rashid.

Adil Rashid, during the special chat with Geo News, confirmed that – like Moeen – he’ll also go to Bangladesh if selected for the tour.

And, for both Moeen and Adil, visiting Bangladesh was just like visiting Pakistan.

“I will definitely be going, if selected. And, as Moeen said, it is as same as going to Pakistan,” said Adil.