Moeen Ali honoured with an OBE for services to cricket

England all-rounder Moeen Ali is being awarded an OBE, a recognition for his contribution to cricket in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Ali made his debut in all three formats for the England cricket team in 2014 and played Test matches until the summer of 2021. He is the first Asian-origin cricketer to captain Team England in T20s and Asian-origin cricketer to captain England in any format since Nasser Hussain in 2003.

The 34-year-old said that he was shocked to find out that he had received such a prestigious honour and decided to accept it after careful consideration. He also hinted at getting back into playing Test matches recently under Brendon McCullum’s new England regime.

In an interview Ali said, “It is obviously an honour and the more you think about it, the more you realise how nice it is and how rewarding it is. More than anything, I know it makes my parents happy and that’s the most important thing – one of the main reasons for accepting. It’s amazing and my family are really proud and happy.”

Ali is not only known for his highly successful career in sport, but also his philanthropy work which include providing free cricket coaching sessions to young people in the deprived areas of the UK and working with many charities.