Cricket Australia will launch a probe into the racial abuse claims made by Moeen Ali
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Cricket Australia has announced that they will launch an investigation into England all-rounder Moeen Ali’s claims that an Australian player called him “Osama” during the 2015 Ashes series.
Moeen, who did not reveal the identity of the player, made the allegation in his autobiography, which will be released later this month.
The 31-year-old said the incident occurred during the first Test in Cardiff in July 2015, where he scored 77 in the first innings and took a total of five wickets as England won the match by 169 runs.
Cricket Australia insisted that they will launch a thorough investigation into Moeen’s claims and work closely with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
“Remarks of this nature are unacceptable and have no place in our sport, or in society,” a Cricket Australia spokesperson was quoted as saying by BBC Sport. “We have a clear set of values and behaviours that comes with representing our country.
“We take this matter very seriously, and are following up with the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) as a matter of urgency to seek further clarification around the alleged incident.”
Recalling the incident in his autobiography, Moeen wrote: “It was a great first Ashes Test in terms of my personal performance. However there was one incident which had distracted me. An Australian player had turned to me on the field and said, ‘Take that, Osama.’ I could not believe what I had heard. I remember going really red. I have never been so angry on a cricket field.
“I told a couple of the guys what the player had said to me and I think Trevor Bayliss [the England coach] must have raised it with Darren Lehmann, the Australians’ coach.
“Lehmann asked the player, ‘Did you call Moeen Osama?’ He denied it, saying, ‘No, I said, ‘Take that, you part-timer.” I must say I was amused when I heard that, obviously I had to take the player’s word for it, though for the rest of the match I was angry.”