Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali has opened up about his long-term ambition to move into elite-level coaching, admitting that guiding the England men’s team one day remains a personal dream.
Although he insists such an opportunity is still some distance away, Moeen believes coaching is a natural progression after his playing career.
Since stepping away from international cricket in 2024, the 38-year-old has remained deeply involved in the game. Based in Dubai, Moeen continues to travel extensively due to franchise commitments across multiple leagues.
Despite his busy schedule, he is now beginning to explore coaching roles more seriously and will soon be part of the England Lions’ white-ball coaching setup during their camp in Abu Dhabi.
The arrangement is informal but significant. Moeen will work alongside Ben Stokes and Andrew Flintoff, gaining hands-on experience within England’s development system.
For Moeen, this opportunity is less about titles and more about learning the craft from close quarters while contributing his own knowledge to the next generation of players.
Coaching, in many ways, runs in Moeen’s family. His father was his first mentor and continues to operate a cricket academy, while close relatives are already part of the professional coaching circuit in county cricket.
That background has shaped Moeen’s belief that coaching is not a sudden career switch, but something he has been exposed to for most of his life. He is also studying for his ECB Level Three coaching qualification to strengthen his technical foundation.
Philosophically, Moeen describes himself as an old-school coach who values strong technique above all else.
He feels modern cricket under Brendon McCullum’s influence, shaped strongly by T20 formats, often prioritises entertainment over core fundamentals.
In his view, technical shortcomings can still be exposed at the highest level, especially in longer formats, and he believes England’s recent struggles overseas highlighted that gap.
Having started his career primarily as a batter before evolving into a frontline spin-bowling all-rounder, Moeen feels well equipped to coach spin in particular.
His own journey from part-time bowler to specialist has given him insights he believes could benefit young players navigating similar paths.
