England's Ali school of cricket

Birmingham: It’s almost 6.00 pm in the evening here and Munir Ali has just wrapped up a session with his wards at the Edgbaston Community Sports Ground. The brutal summer sun hits your face hard, stinging in fact. One can sense some exhaustion on the faces of the kids who are doing their cooling-down exercises. The 70-year-old Munir, stroking his moustache, though, is fresh as a daisy. 

The father of celebrated England cricketer Moeen Ali and uncle of former fast bowler Kabir Ali is busy grooming the next one from his bloodline. “You see that kid Musa (Ali) in the nets. He’s my eldest son’s young lad. He’s just 13 years old and a beautiful batter. If he continues to train hard, he can turn up for England. But we all are excited about Isaac Mohammed (his daughter’s son). He’s playing for England U-19s in the series against India in England now. Watch out for him, he’s tall and elegant like my Moeen. I’m certain the future is bright for him,” a proud Munir tells DH.

The Alis, more so Munir, are an unmistakable presence here in Birmingham, commanding a lot of respect from the cricketing community, not just among the Asian population but the English as well. While Moeen, part of the 2019 ODI World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup winning sides, is the most celebrated member of the family where cricket runs deep in their blood, Munir is the undisputed head, having played — and still playing — a major role in every member of his tribe playing cricket.

Munir Ali. DH PHOTO/ SIDNEY KIRAN

Born in Birmingham to an English mother and a Pakistani father, Munir spent his early years in Pakistan before returning to the West Midlands city after his parents split up when he was a very young kid. Munir, like many members of the Asian community, aspired to become a cricketer, but life being a struggle, he was forced to juggle his playing career with an actual one that would help put food on the table. So he started off working as a psychiatric nurse and also learnt the ropes of coaching. That’s when he figured out what he couldn’t become but can inspire the younger members in his family to be an English cricketer.

Kabir Ali

The dream was realised a bit through his nephew Kabir, who played a Test for England versus South Africa in Leeds in 2003. A potent fast bowler who gave a strong first impression by bagging 3/80 and 2/56, Kabir sadly was ignored right after for no fault of his and never played Test cricket again. That’s something which irks Munir, an outspoken personality. 

“Kabir was the first from the family to play for England. Given his talent, he should have played a lot more, but then England had James Anderson, Matthew Hoggard and Steve Harmison. But that’s how life is,” Munir says before talking about how life is hard for those from the Asian community. “As an Asian, in those days, it was difficult. I remember Bishan Singh Bedi saying to me, saying to Kabir (his eldest son), we knew him very well as a family friend. He said to Kabir, you need to be 20 times better than some of the white guys. 

“That’s coming from the experienced guy. He said you have to be better than others. I remember Bishan saying that when you’re playing in the team, you have to believe that you’re the number one. In the team, you’re the key. You lead from the top. Although the captain is somebody else in all that, in your mind, you’re the number one. That’s the mentality I instilled in my kids and my grandchildren too.

“Take Moeen also. Yes, he played over 60 Tests, but I feel he never got the respect. He started off his career as a batter and was an elegant one at that. But often he would bat lower down the order just before the bowlers. He could have got more than five centuries had he batted above. However, I’m grateful to the England team for whatever Moeen has achieved in his career,” added Munir with a bit of a stammer.

Munir, who juggles between his son’s eponymous academy as well as Warwickshire, is now optimistic about the next generation. “I already told you about Isaac. But watch out for Moeen’s son Abubacker. He’s 11 years old and the first wicketkeeper from the family. He’s technically very sound. Then you have Kadeer’s (his eldest son) son Hamza. He’s a smasher, just keeps going from ball one. He either scores big or gets out early. I’m working on improving his technique and temperament. So we have three waiting in the wings. This is the dream that I had when I was young, and I’m happy to see it come to fruition,” says Munir, his face swelling with pride.