"A lot of people were disappointed with me coming to Yorkshire"
Moeen Ali said “a lot of people” advised him not to join Yorkshire County Cricket Club in the wake of the racism scandal.
He postponed his retirement to join Yorkshire as they push for a first T20 Blast trophy.
Ali was one of several prominent cricketers who publicly supported former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq after his allegations of racism at the club sparked a major reckoning within English cricket.
The fallout led to five former players being found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute.
Despite the controversy, Ali said he was intent on joining the club after a chat with former England teammate Jonny Bairstow.
Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds, he said: “A lot of people I spoke to advised me against coming to Yorkshire and that actually made me want to come even more.
“There were other counties [who suffered with racism problems] as well, but the whole thing started at Yorkshire with the stories and stuff. Every county has their own problems, but from what I’ve seen and heard, Yorkshire have done a lot of work.
“I’ve always found that if you do well anywhere, and are good with people, people will be good with you. That’s my mindset.
“A lot of people were disappointed with me coming to Yorkshire, but if you can change the mind of one person you’ve done a great job.
“Yorkshire have been doing a great job, so why not be part of that?
“There might be people from the same background as me, a South Asian background, who were probably hesitant to come and be themselves and play, and I don’t want anyone to ever think that.”
Moeen Ali believes Yorkshire has made significant progress since the controversy and wants to help create an environment where players from all backgrounds feel welcome.
He said performing on the field and encouraging inclusivity were closely linked:
“My main job is to perform and do well for the county, and hopefully win a trophy within the next two years but if you make any sort of difference…
“It’s such a vast area and there are a lot of South Asian players. Hopefully there can be a lot more players coming through the county system who don’t feel there are issues that could hold them back.
“I just want people to come and express themselves, play their game and enjoy the game with everybody else.”
“There are ups and downs in cricket and in life but sometimes you’ve just got to deal with it.
“All the counties and ECB are trying to find ways and doing a good job. My dad always said to me that if you score a lot of runs, teams have to pick you, and that’s the main thing for a professional cricketer, to perform.
“You just want to make it easier for everyone, give them the idea that no matter what background you are from, no matter what you look like, no matter what you do, there is no sort of barrier in the way. That’s what it is about and that’s how it should be.”
When Ali joined Yorkshire, he spoke of wanting to help “build bridges” at a club still rebuilding trust following the Rafiq scandal. However, he insisted his primary objective remains helping the county achieve success on the field.
He added: “If I can come to Yorkshire and help us win the Blast within the next couple of years, that will be amazing.
“That will be one of my best achievements as a cricketer. I’m at the back end of my career and just want to win trophies.”
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