Watch: Alastair Cook And Moeen Ali Engage In An Argument Once Again
Updated - 12 Jun 2022, 08:02 PM
During the Ashes series earlier this year, former England Test captain Sir Alastair Cook had an on-air spat with star all-rounder Moeen Ali. The incident occurred when the 34-year-old all-rounder commended then-captain Joe Root’s leadership by stating that the premier batter had a stronger emotional bond with the team. Cook took Moeen’s comments personally and responded to him by asking, “Are you just criticising my captaincy?”
Moeen admitted to doing “a little bit,” but said he was better with the ball under Root’s control. Cook was incensed by the comments and went on to remind Ali of how many times Root had dropped him from the team, to which Ali replied, “That’s true, but you also batted me from 1 to 9 in my first year of international cricket.”
The Incident Occurred During The Ongoing 2nd Test Between England And Newzealand
Four months later, during the second day of play of the second Test between England and New Zealand on Saturday (June 11), the two former great Test cricketers revisited the viral event once more. Cook began the discussion by stating that Moeen had already told everyone in the studio that he (Cook) would not make a good captain or coach.
“I was coming back from a holiday, walking straight back to the studio at midnight. I met the all-smiling Mo (Moeen), as he always is, pleased. Anyway, half an hour into the shift, he basically told everyone who is watching and listening, ‘I wasn’t a very good captain and I wouldn’t be a very good coach’. That’s kind of how it went. So, I actually feel as if I have nothing to defend here,” Cook said on BBC’s Test Match Special.
On the other hand, Ali clarified, “It was a little bit out of context. I was basically saying that Rooty had a lot more empathy for players than you did! And I never mentioned once that you’re not a good captain or if you are or aren’t better than Rooty. And then, you took it personally to heart and it went viral.”
Watch the video here:
Sir Alastair Cook ?️ "He told everyone I wasn't a very good captain!"
Moeen Ali ?️ "I was saying that Rooty has a lot more empathy for his players than you do!"
The duo discuss *that* viral video…
? Listen to @bbctms on @BBCSounds#BBCCricket #ENGvNZ pic.twitter.com/SqdwmAKWsr
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) June 11, 2022
Cook, the all-time leading run-scorer for the English team in Test cricket, retired from the game in 2018. He captained England in 59 red-ball matches throughout the course of his 12-year international career, winning 24 of them. Moeen Ali made his Test debut in 2014 against Sri Lanka under Cook’s leadership, and he later under Joe Root.
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