Biography

Born in 1987 in the city of Birmingham, Moeen Ali is fondly known as 'the beard that's feared' in his hometown. He was a teenage prodigy and destined for success due to his extraordinary skill set. Moeen was signed by Warwickshire as a 15-year-old and he didn't waste time in impressing one and all.

Ali also captained England in the 2006 Under-19 World Cup and took his team to the semi-final. Due to limited opportunities at Warwickshire, Moeen switched to the rival county team, Worcestershire. He played a vital role in his side winning the Pro-40 title in 2007 and one of his knocks, a blazing 46-ball century, was much talked about. After working hard in the domestic circuit and showing his all-around abilities, the national selectors finally picked him for the ODI series against West Indies and the World T20 that followed.

It didn't take long for Moeen to break into the English Test team and that was also helped by the untimely retirement of Graeme Swann. His elegance with the bat and ability to bowl useful off-breaks played a big role in his selection. Ali made his Test debut against Sri Lanka at Lord's and in his very second Test, he almost saved the match for his team with a valiant century.

Considered a part-time spinner, Moeen's career graph in Tests jumped to another level when he picked 19 wickets against the touring Indian team and surprised many. Always