Former England Test cricketers Moeen Ali and Alastair Cook engaged in a heated debate live on air during BT Sport’s coverage of the ongoing fourth Ashes Test in Sydney. Moeen and Cook’s awkward conversation took place during the rain-affected opening day of the match.
It all happened when Moeen began to describe the differences between Cook’s captaincy and current skipper Joe Root. Moeen opined that Root is emotionally attached to players and spends more time with them.
“Rooty has more of an emotional attachment with the players, he spends more time with the players,” said Moeen.
Before the off-spinner could add anything further, Cook registered his objection and asked whether Moeen was criticising his leadership.
“Are you just criticising my captaincy? “ asked Cook.
Moeen, who took 195 wickets in 64 Tests, responded to Cook’s question and agreed he was criticising before explaining that his batting was better under Cook’s leadership while bowling improved under Root.
“I am a little bit, yeah. They’re both very different, I did do better with the bat under Cooky, but with the ball, I was better with Rooty,” added Moeen.
The Birmingham-born further pointed out that Root was more involved with players kept his support towards them.
“Rooty was a little bit more involved with the players, in my opinion. Not that Cooky doesn’t care, but I think Rooty is a bit more ‘arm over the shoulder’ kind of guy,” explained Moeen.
Tensions were certainly running high during the conversation as Cook expressed his disappointment at Moeen.
“I’m not sure I will take this anymore, I’ve just come back from a nice holiday, and I’ve walked straight into Moeen Ali off his long run,” mentioned Cook.
Here is the video:
— Liam O’Connor (@liamoconnorrrr) January 5, 2022
