Moeen Ali awarded OBE for services to cricket

GEORGE DOBELL: Recognised as part of the Queen's birthday honours, Moeen believes his award is about his contribution to equality in cricket and his journey to becoming an international star

Moeen Ali believes the OBE he has been awarded for services to cricket is a reflection of far more than the runs and wickets he has taken for England.

Moeen, who has captained England in limited-overs cricket and was a member of the World Cup-winning squad and Ashes-winning team, is among those recognised as part of the Queen's birthday honours.

But he believes the award is as much about his contribution to equality in cricket as it is anything he has achieved on the field. In particular, Moeen has been a willing spokesperson for inclusivity as someone who has long described himself as British, Muslim and proud of both.

At a time when there are increasing concerns about the growing exclusivity of the sport, Moeen also hopes his success can inspire more people from inner-city and working-class backgrounds.

"It's an honour to be recognized," Moeen said. "It's amazing and my family are really proud and happy. More than anything, I know it makes my parents happy.

"It's not about runs and wickets. I think it's more about the journey I've been through and all that kind of stuff, I guess. It's my background, my upbringing and all that. All those kinds of things I've been through throughout my life.

^{Moeen has represented England on 225 occasions across all formats, scoring over 5,000 runs and taking 300 wickets (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)}

"Even if I was to finish my career tomorrow, it would be nice to be recognised in this sort of way. With the work I've done, I think it is something I'll look back on at the end of my career and think was special.

"It was a great journey and really well worth it in the end. All the hard work you put in as a child and through your teenage years really paid off and it's almost like the icing on the cake, to get recognised for it in such a way."

Moeen admits that there are moments when being seen as a role-model can feel daunting but has gradually settled into the mantle.

"From the from the word 'go', as soon as I played for England, people labelled me as being a potential role model or role model. It is a big responsibility," he said.

"It's a lot and it is difficult to be that role model because you don't want to let people down. But as time has gone on, you kind of accept it and deal with it a lot better. You have to accept it and realise you are probably a role model even though you don't like saying it too much.

"You kind of do inspire a lot of people especially from the inner city and the people that can relate to you. I don't like that term role model, to a certain extent, but I know my role and what I need to do."

He also admits he missed the original notification of the award: "It gets sent through on email and it actually went straight to my junk. I didn't see it for ages. I got a message from Worcester saying the person who emailed me was trying to get hold of me. They said 'you've got some important news'. So then I got through it was a great surprise."

In a separate statement, Moeen added: "I am humbled and honoured to be receiving the OBE in the Queen's Birthday 2022 Honours List. I would like to dedicate this award to my parents, family and all the coaches and teammates I’ve played with over my career.

"If a boy from Sparkbrook, Birmingham can do it, so can you. Hardwork, dedication and learning from your peers are paramount to success.

"Once again many thanks to everyone involved with the awards for the nomination and awarding of the OBE."