British Asians should support the country of their birth:Moeen Ali

Moeen is no ordinary cricketer. The Birmingham born-and-bred and very British Muslim did not expect the torrent of abuse he received at Edgbaston from the Indian supporting majority of the sell-out crowd when he played for England in their Twenty20 international.After all, he was coming to the end of a season which saw him emerge as not only one of the most exciting talents in the English game but also the perfect role model for British Asians from similar inner-city backgrounds.Yet the sheer scale of the booing, greater than that received by any other English cricketer with an Asian background and predominantly because of his Pakistani heritage, was evidence that he has much to do to convince those like him to follow him and embrace the domestic game.‘I won't say that it hurt but it was disappointing that I live 10 minutes from Edgbaston and I'm getting booed by people I feel I'm supposed to represent,' said Moeen at Lord's as he prepared to join England's one-day tour of Sri Lanka.‘People have a right to support who they want, of course, but it was a big shame but I'm hoping in the future maybe they or their kids will become England fans or players. It just made me feel that a lot more work needs to be done.' ‘My dad was very upset because it was the first time the family had watched me play for England at Edgbaston,' said Moeen. ‘I don't know what it was. Maybe because my family are from Kashmir. I actually think alcohol played a large part but I'll never forget it and I was just glad to field the last ball when we won.'“I think players like myself and Ravi Bopara need to get out there and tell people that it is about playing for our country and that means playing for England.”‘Sometimes in Asian homes it is 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. The thing is, when you play in India they cheer everybody and I've had Indian friends sort of apologise to me about what happened. But there's definitely more that people like me can do.'Another controversy to affect Moeen last summer was his decision to wear pro-Palestinian wristbands during England's Test against India at Southampton, a move which led to him being ticked off by the ICC."I still have my views and opinions but I must be more wary of expressing them on the field,' said Moeen. 'I still believe what I believe in. I auctioned the wristbands. A guy paid £500 for them for the charity of his choice and I had dinner with him in Birmingham. I was pleased some good came out of it.'He has done quite a lot already both on and off the field, not least in impressing with bat, notably a maiden Test century of rare class against Sri Lanka, and with the ball in taking 19 wickets in the 3-1 success against India.Now he is part of an England squad that leave for Sri Lanka on Sunday for a seven-match 50-over series that serves as a warm-up for a World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in the New Year that few expect them to thrive in.Moeen believes that England can exceed expectations by abandoning the traditional cautious mind-set and replacing it with a fearless approach. ‘I know a lot of people are writing us off but I feel we have a good chance because of the amount of one-day cricket we are now playing before then.Moeen, 27, is a candidate to bat at three in Sri Lanka and the World Cup or fill an all-rounder's role at seven but what he would really like is to go in at the very top. ‘I'd love to open,' said Moeen, who could become an alternative to Alex Hales as Alastair Cook's partner if the big-hitting Notts man does not come off.When Moeen burst on to the scene post England's Ashes disaster much was made of his ability as an off-spinner to bowl the doosra, the ball that goes away from the right-hander, but it was rarely seen while he was bamboozling India and now he has reluctantly put it back in his locker, probably for good.