Moeen Ali will not be affected by coming face to face with the player who allegedly called him ‘Osama’ when Australia tour England next summer in the Ashes.
Cricket Australia launched an investigation into the claim last week when Ali disclosed in his autobiography the incident involving an unnamed opponent that came in the first Test of the 2015 Ashes series.
The slur referencing the all-rounder to terrorist Osama bin Laden was taken to Darren Lehmann, the Australia head coach at the time, after Ali informed Trevor Bayliss of what had happened. Lehmann vouched after discussions with the accused player that he had used the phrase ‘part-timer’.
Probing the incident, Cricket Australia confirmed it was shutting the investigation down on Monday having found no additional evidence.
With a five-Test series to come next August in the battle for the urn, Ali said the cricket would be his focus more so than what had happened in the past.
“I don’t know if I’ll be in the squad next year! To be honest, I don’t think that far ahead,” Ali told the BBC.
“If ever I come across him or whoever has the same mindset, then so be it. It doesn’t bother me too much.”
“You always get some stuff from the crowd here and there, but that was the one that really, not just upset me, but you can’t believe someone actually said that.
“We tried to deal with it at the time. It’s been investigated, so it’s all done now, it’s all in the past.
“There’s no room for that in life in general, not just in sports.
“There are ways of trying to put your opponent off and sometimes you don’t have to say anything.
“You can have a passion and things but we play so much cricket, for me it’s more important to be a good person and try to play the cricket the right way.”
