What is your current role at Worcestershire CCC?
I am the second team head coach now going into my third season.
What has been your journey as a player and coach?
My journey started with Warwickshire u11’s, I played there until the under 15’s. I then moved to Worcestershire as a young professional at 16 years old, I played there for 5 years where I also represented England u19’s and the England A team. I played for the u19’s over three years, in 5 series which included the Word Cup in New Zealand. I toured with the England A team in India in 2002/2003 winter. At the age of 22, I moved to Gloucestershire where I spent 6 years, again I played a lot in the first team and when I was released in 2010, I then moved to Leicestershire where I played for a couple of seasons. I was not on a full-time contract, I was on a pay as you play deal which I saw through for a couple of years. I then moved into coaching with Leicestershire county age groups and slowly got involved at Edgbaston with the under 15’s and that evolved into doing a lot more and then I ended up getting a full-time contract with Warwickshire coaching with the age groups. I spent 8/9 years there, coaching u10’s to u19’s, within the academy and EPPs and on some occasions helping out with the second team. Then the opportunity at Worcestershire came about and I am now going into my third season as head coach of the second team.
Who played a role in your journey as a player and what were your successes?
I can not look any further than my dad and my uncle, they made huge sacrifices for me, Moeen and my cousin Kabir Ali. A number of us as cousins played and grew up together. Without our parent’s commitments, it would have been very difficult purely because of the time they invested and the sacrifices they made, they are the key people. Also, Damian D’Oliveira, when I first went to Worcestershire as a 15-year-old kid, helped me a lot and took me under his wing. He helped me develop from being a county age-group player at Warwickshire u15’s, to then playing second-team cricket a year later, his advice, training with the pros made a big difference to my development as a player. So, he played a key role in my journey alongside my parents and Kabir’s parents.
Any stumbling blocks for you?
This is an interesting question, as when you are a young kid at 14/15 and your dad and uncle have to make a decision whether they should go to work or not because if they choose to work then they are not available to take you to matches, so one decided to quit their job so that they could take us to matches and give us extra practise sessions throughout the week. This especially took place during our early stages of development at Warwickshire. Their dedication was always in the back of your mind as you knew that once you made it into the pro-environment you had to make it a success due to the sacrifices which were made. We didn’t have much to go into if we didn’t make it as cricketers. Obviously, in regard to supporting the families, mine and Kabir’s families still are tight-knit families, so we had to make it. This bought in pressure as we knew that we had to perform well in county and international cricket in order to get paid. We always had those pressures and they were the stumbling blocks at the start but it’s made us all stronger from a mental point of view as we have gone along in life.
What was it like at Gloucestershire CCC?
I moved there at a time in my career when I wanted to play more first-team cricket and they provided me with that opportunity. I loved my six years there and it also allowed me to mature as a person by moving away from home, to a new city and having to cook for myself and look after myself completely. I rented out a property so it allowed me to mature more than I did at Worcestershire as a person. My playing time as a professional was a great experience and which I very much enjoyed but I felt I developed more as a person as it made me grow up and appreciate life a lot more too.
You started as a full-time coach at Warwickshire, how did that happen?
At Warwickshire, a couple of nights a week I helped out with age groups. For the first couple of years, I spent only the winters coaching and helping out with the county age groups. In the summer, I would go and play cricket with Staffordshire and a little bit at Leicestershire. Once my county career was over, I started to get more involved in matches for the county age groups which I did for a couple of years. I then got the role as a performance coach where I was in charge of the academy batting, the EPP and coaching the girls EPP too. So, I had a nice variation of players who I coached. The learning experience was great for my development.
What was it like coming back to Worcestershire CCC?
It was amazing as even though I enjoyed playing cricket at Gloucestershire and Leicestershire, Worcestershire was where I first started in the pro-environment, I absolutely loved it. It had a strong family environment and since I’ve been back that hasn’t changed. I’m really pleased to be back. I was gutted to leave Warwickshire, I enjoyed my coaching there with the county age groups and the academy and working with Paul Greetham. For me, coming back has had that family feel that I love, and my three years have flown by.
What is your current cricket philosophy?
My coaching philosophy is based on having fun and making the environment enjoyable. It is equally important to create a hard-working environment where players are not afraid to make mistakes and where they can express themselves too.
Best coach you worked with as a player and as a coach?
The coaches who I feel were the best ones who I worked with or played under were Damian D’Oliveria, for the way he made you feel, he created a relaxed environment that allowed you to play how you wanted to while still making you work hard. Secondly, Tom Moody when he was at Worcestershire. He was quite old-school, quite fun but also created a nice atmosphere while still demanding a lot and making you work hard. Those two are the two standouts for me
What advice would you offer young players and coaches?
Do not complicate the game. It is already a tough game, keep things simple. For coaches, try not to over-coach, do not feel the need to say something just because you are the coach. Keep it simple, be honest with the players. From a playing point of view, try and make your basic skills as strong as you can so that you have strong foundations. Then over the years, you can start evolving as a player, however, it is crucial that you have strong foundations already laid. For a batsman, this would be having a strong base, good head position on release and hitting the ball nice and late. Those three things are very important to me and you need to work on making those as strong as you can. Also, for young players I would say, be ready and prepared to make sacrifices. You work hard on your game but you also should try and be the best athlete that you can be, the best fielder that you can be and that obviously takes a lot of hard work and dedication and those are the crucial skills that you need to have in order to progress to the next level.
Who were your influencers growing up?
Growing up we as a group of cousins followed and watched my dad and uncle play a lot of parks cricket, we went and watched them where ever they played. The passion they had for the game really rubbed on us kids. One thing which sticks out for me was the 1992, cricket world cup final. My dad, sister and I watched a lot of the games, we would stay up to watch them overnight and would sleep downstairs to watch them. I still remember those days. Imran Khan was a massive role model, the cricketer he was, the leader he was, so after my dad and uncle, Imran Khan from a cricketing point of view was a key influencer for me.
What aspirations do you have as a coach?
To be honest, I try to take every day as it comes. I’ve coached ever since I stopped playing professional cricket. Starting off at the Leicestershire CCC county age programme, I then moved to Warwickshire CCC where I stayed for 8/9 years coaching their county age group and academy. I then got the opportunity at Worcestershire CCC. For me, I try to take it step by step, but not looking too far ahead. Try to take every day as it comes. I am enjoying what I am doing at the moment. I am enjoying learning and becoming a better coach, learning from other coaches around me and progressing forward as a coach. If something comes up, then I will address it but I am very comfortable right now.
Do we get enough out of ex-professional South Asian cricketers?
I think we could get a lot more out of them, a lot more could be involved in the coaching system. Also, a lot more could be involved in mentoring young South Asian cricketers coming through as they have the ability and experiences to understand the environment these players come from and help that transition. If there are any barriers or misunderstandings when making the transition, for example, a young player may not see eye to eye with a coach and put his head down. This does not mean that he’s arrogant or ignorant, it may be out of respect. It is important that both sides understand these types of situations, so it’s key to have these ex-players involved.
What drives you?
Cricket has been a big part of mine and my family’s life for a long time. I have always had a passion for the game, even when I was playing cricket at the county level, I would always come back and coach at the Moeen Ali Cricket Academy which my dad runs. I would spend the weekends during the winter when I would not be training with the county, coaching on a 1-1 basis or in group sessions. Since I was 18/19, I have been coaching, it’s been a huge part of our lives. Giving something back to the community and to young people who want to become professionals or who just want to play the game, which is important in growing the game, any bit of help I could give, I would. Now I am more in the professional environment, I just try and help as many people as I possibly can and try and make them better while passing on any knowledge I have. I also try and share any experiences that I have had as a player to try and help players develop as cricketers and as people too.
There is a large South Asian cricketing community in your home city of Birmingham, what is your advice for talented young cricketers?
Invest as much time as you possibly can in learning the game and working hard on all aspects within the game. Not just batting and bowling but also fielding and fitness and the mental side of the game as well. Make sure you are always learning, and keep being open to different ideas from different coaches and your colleagues. Never be afraid to ask questions when you are unsure and have the belief that you can achieve something which always comes with hard work.
