Cricket Australia (CA) on Monday said that it has closed the investigation in England’s all-rounder Moeen Ali’s claim that he was called Osama during his debut in 2015 Ashes Test series.
CA has found no details or confirmation to prove the allegations.
“We have followed up with the ECB (English board) and our team management and confirmed that the incident was investigated at the time, with a response provided to Moeen,” a CA spokesman told http://www.cricket.com.au
“Moeen elected not to progress the matter any further and we have not been able to ascertain any new additional evidence through our enquiries. As such, the matter is considered closed.”
Ali had earlier in his autobiography revealed that he was called “Osama” by a rival English player in Cardiff.
“An Australian player … turned to me on the field and said, `Take that, Osama`,” he recalled. “I could not believe what I had heard. I remember going really red. I have never been so angry on a cricket field.
“I told a couple of the guys what the player had said to me and I think (England coach) Trevor Bayliss must have raised it with Darren Lehmann, the Australians` coach. Lehmann asked the player, `Did you call Moeen `Osama`?”. He denied it, saying, “No, I said: `Take that, you part-timer`.
“… obviously I had to take the player`s word for it, though for the rest of the match I was angry.”
Following the allegation, CA told the cricket.com.au website that the body would seek “further clarification” from the England and Wales Cricket Board “as a matter of urgency”.
“Remarks of this nature are unacceptable and have no place in our sport, or in society,” the official said.
“We have a clear set of values and behaviours that come with representing our country. We take this matter very seriously … “
Ali feels that the whole Australian team is “rude” and has no sympathy for the players that were banned earlier this year.
“I`m someone who generally feels sorry for people when things go wrong but it is difficult to feel sorry for them,” he said.
“The first game I ever played against them, in Sydney, just before the 2015 World Cup, they were not just going hard at you, they were almost abusing you.
“That was the first time it hit me. I gave them the benefit of the doubt, but the more I played against them they were just as bad, the Ashes here (in 2015) they were worse, actually.
“Not intimidating, just rude,” Ali added.
(With Reuters inputs)
Source: Zee News