Many famous cricketers call the UAE home, with Australian great Brett Lee, former India international Robin Uthappa and England batter Alex Hales among those who have settled in the Emirates."
Retired England all-rounder Moeen Ali is also part of that group.
There are many reasons cricketers choose the UAE – lifestyle, location and easy access to various leagues and tournaments in and around the region.
For Moeen, the cultural and religious connection is helped make the decision to move an easy one.
“I love it here. I think it's an amazing place. It's very central. Amazing weather, amazing facilities. A great lifestyle for family. I find it very peaceful,” Moeen told The National ahead of the revamped Abu Dhabi T10, where he will captain the Arabian Aces.
“It's a beautiful place. For me, it's the lifestyle. Masjids everywhere, halal food everywhere, no issues. Safety for the kids.”
It has not been all perfect, though. The UAE’s air defences intercepted drones and missiles launched by Iran at the start of the war in late February. It was a challenging time for everyone, including Moeen.
However, the 39-year-old said the way the UAE handled the crisis convinced him he was in safe hands.
“Well, it was difficult. Obviously, the work that the UAE government did was amazing for the safety of the people. It was scary for the kids, but we were in safe hands,” Moeen said.
“I did manage to go back home to England because [I have] family over there as well. They were worried about what was happening. But generally very good.
“You never know, obviously, what's gonna happen. Never been in those situations before. For me, personally, that was dealt amazingly well by the UAE government. And it makes me proud that I chose this place.”
Playing and coaching
Moeen has a very busy calendar. He recently featured in the Nepal Premier League. The left-handed batter will now feature in the Abu Dhabi T10 for the Arabian Aces, co-owned by investors Pankaj Jain and Neeraj Jain.
The Aces are coached by former South African all-rounder Lance Klusener and have several other star players such as Liam Livingstone, Andre Russell, Imran Tahir and Sam Billings in the line-up.
After the Abu Dhabi T10, Moeen will move on to the DP World ILT20 and then the Afghan Premier League, which will also take place in the UAE later in the year.
After that, there is a short break before he turns up at the Pakistan Super League, followed by the T20 Blast in the UK.
In between all of this, Moeen was also a part of the England Lions coaching set-up earlier in the year. The ODI and T20 World Cup winner has talked about becoming a top-level international coach, preferably in England.
“Every player should be coaching while he is playing. It helps the game, helps the mindset. So all these things come together quite nicely, so it's not hard to handle. Just whenever I'm free, I'll coach. When I am not free, I'll be playing,” Moeen added.
Moeen was part of the England team that won the 2022 T20 World Cup. Ben Stokes played a winning hand in the title match against Pakistan. Harry Brook, who was also part of that team, has now blossomed into a world-class all-format batter and white-ball captain.
Results have been up and down for England, though, especially in white-ball cricket. After thrashing India at home in T20s and ODIs earlier this year, England suffered chastening defeats during the recent ODI tri-series in Pakistan. However, Brook himself continued to pile on the runs. Moeen believes it is part of the learning curve.
“Big learning, I think. I think he is a brilliant batter. England rely on him a lot, in white ball especially. As a leader, there would be ups and downs … had some tough results against Pakistan. I think not playing Adil Rashid was a big mistake, personally, but I see what they're trying to do. So, yeah, it'll come good, it's fine. He still scores a lot of runs.”
England team culture
What has not worked out well for England are successive instances of indiscipline. Brook got involved in an altercation in a nightclub in New Zealand last year. After that, opener Ben Duckett was filmed in a dishevelled state on the streets during the Ashes in Australia. This year, Stokes and Gus Atkinson found themselves in another incident at a nightclub.
Moeen, however, believes it is a lapse in judgement and does not think England cricketers have a drinking problem.
“I think the culture is fine. The culture will get better. Those mistakes were made … the culture is good again. The players have learnt. The players are a lot more aware of what they need to do now.
“I don't think there's a drinking culture. I don't know the ins and outs. But I don’t think there is a drinking culture. I think they just lapsed a little bit.”
New start for T10
For now, Moeen is focused on the Abu Dhabi T10 and the Arabian Aces. The tournament is making a fresh start under the ownership and management of the Abu Dhabi Cricket & Sports Hub (ADCSH), home to the Zayed Cricket Stadium.
Five new teams have been brought in, including the Aces, with the aim of providing a long-term and dependable system with clear team structures and identities.
Moeen is excited to be part of a new beginning.
“T10 in Abu Dhabi has always been good. I think it's only getting stronger. I think these new teams would be great for the competition because they needed a change. Everyone's excited and happy that this happened. All the teams are very strong. So really, really happy.”
