Moeen Ali

A classy and explosive left-handed batsman who also bowls useful off-spin, Moeen Ali was earmarked for future England honours after representing the Lions and Under-19 sides. He led England U19s to the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup in Pakistan, an impressive achievement given they had been hammered in their warm-up games by Bangladesh, and has been touted as a future Worcestershire captain. After beginning his career with rivals Warwickshire, Moeen moved across the boundary to New Road in 2007 and quickly established himself in the first team, scoring 77 on his County Championship debut for Worcestershire.

Considered to have the ability and temperament to fill Worcestershire legend Graeme Hick’s boots, he enjoyed a fine 2011 season, scoring 930 first-class runs and topping the club averages in 40-over cricket. A strong domestic campaign in 2013 brought England recognition in one-day cricket, Moeen producing some eye-catching cameos over the winter. With the national side shorn of Graeme Swann, he was selected as a Test spinner for the series against Sri Lanka – although it was his main suit that impressed as he hit a stunning rearguard century in the second game.

Moeen shone with the ball in the subsequent home series versus India with 19 wickets in the five Tests, including a match-winning 6-67 at the Ageas Bowl. He scored his maiden one-day international ton in Sri Lanka in November 2014 and followed that up with another against Scotland in England's disappointing World Cup campaign.

Moeen missed the opening match of the West Indies series but otherwise played every Test for England in 2015, ending the year with a man-of-the-match performance as Alastair Cook's men kicked off the South Africa tour with a resounding win. Later in 2015, he was nominated for the Best at Sport Award at the British Muslim Awards, for his great performances as an all-rounder. As a speaker, Moeen tackles some harder topics of overcoming adversity, his Muslim faith and being a role model to British Asians, with aplomb and pride. As well as sharing insight from his fantastic career in professional sport, Moeen enjoys interacting with the guests and participating in question and answer sessions, which are engaging for all audiences.