A biography for Moeen Alihasn’t been written yet.
“I am a Muslim, yes, but I am also very English. People don't realise how proud I am to be representing my country or being from Birmingham.”
“I have been told in the past that's my downfall but I'd rather be too nice to be honest. I set out in cricket to make friends. I'd rather people say they enjoyed playing with him and he's a good guy, not he's a good player but a bit of a so and so.”
“I'm 32 now. I'm getting old. It's gone in the blink of an eye. But I won't even look back at the number of caps when I'm done: the most important thing will be remembering all the fun I've had with the guys in the dressing room and the friends I've made.”
“Mistakes can happen. Sometimes they can build up over the course of an innings and put people even more on edge, which makes it snowball further.”
“Babies are born every day but truly, each one is a little miracle.”
“It's always nice to get a call-up when in decent nick as you can have that confidence coming into the game. It's what county cricket should do.”
“If I wasn't doing this, I'd be working in a chippy. Cricket can change your life. It can teach you a lot about discipline and life in general.”
“I always have a slight sense of sadness when Ramadan ends. It's such an amazing, blessed month. For me it is like a training camp for the year. You reflect on your life and things you can improve on. And it's not about food and drink, it's about learning to be a better person.”
“Sometimes in Asian homes it is all about where we've come from, which is important too, but it is about where you live and where you're born and the people who are the same as you.”
“And in an Ashes series the best approach as a player is to not get caught up in feeling pressure for your position but to think only about the greater cause. How can I contribute? It could be a single moment, like a blinding catch or a run out. Think only of the team's needs.”
“In terms of trying to inspire other people with faith to play and stuff I am very proud of that. I remember seeing Muslim athletes or guys with other faiths performing and still carrying the label of being a religious person and it does inspire people.”
“Coming on to bowl in the opening powerplay might look stressful for a spinner but I actually quite like it.”
“A lot of the Indian supporters would have been born in Birmingham, have Birmingham accents. It is my home city as well. Second, third generations from the sub-continent still support India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.”
“When you go into cricket you have to be streetwise.”
“Respect is having respect for the people you play with and against, and respect for the shirt. Unity is about sticking together but also uniting the country. That was always the bigger cause for us, not just the cricket.”
“In sport, the underdog does come out on top quite a bit.”
“That's the best thing: just being part of the team.”
“I have been up and down the batting order and it's difficult. People don't always realise that.”
“You have family and kids, you get home and they want to play with you but you just end up on your phone. I caught myself doing that when my little one wanted a kickaround and I decided I'd had enough.”
“In an ideal world, you knock the runs off and win the game.”