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Moeen ali he has insisted “with his hand on his heart” that he has not experienced any racism during his time in English cricket following a series of accusations.
On Tuesday, the Cricket Board of England and Wales was accused of “institutional racism” by former international referee John Holder and aspiring official Ismail Dawood, who feel that non-white candidates have been unfairly prevented from becoming referees of the match.
The duo’s accusations follow Azeem Rafiq’s allegations that he suffered racial discrimination playing for Yorkshire.
England’s all-rounder Moeen has previously reported racial abuse by an unidentified Australian player during a Test Match in 2015.
But Moeen said that he had found no prejudice in English cricket.
“I can honestly say, with my hand on my heart, that I have never experienced anything like this,” he told reporters from Cape Town on Wednesday before England’s white ball series against South Africa.
“I always felt that if you scored runs or took wickets, you would play. Now I have been playing for England for six years and I always felt at home, I always felt like one of them,” added Moeen, a practicing Muslim.
“I’m sure there are other guys who say yes and I’m sure things have been done and will be done about it. The review is being done and the ECB is improving on all these aspects of the game.
“Nobody is perfect, but in the future, I think a lot will be done to get all these things right.
Meanwhile, Moeen, who has made 200 international appearances, vowed to become an England regular again after admitting he doesn’t have “that much time” left in international cricket.
The 33-year-old off-spinner is no longer a guaranteed first choice, and Moeen lost his spot on the Test side during last year’s Ashes.
“I know I don’t have that much time left in international cricket, obviously depending on fitness and form, but I will do my best to do everything I can to get to the level I want,” said Moeen.
Moeen, who averages almost 29 with the bat and over 36 with the ball in 60 tests, added: “It’s frustrating for me and it’s more of a mental thing.
“I’ve had enough of a break from test cricket … There is an opportunity to be one of the best teams ever and to be a part of it. That’s something I want to do.”
The veteran added: “I think I was hungrier when I was younger, when you try to play test cricket (for the first time). I think everyone is hungrier then.
“I think a year and a half ago I had definitely lost a lot of that hunger, but for the last six months I feel like it’s coming back. I want to play test cricket and play as much as I can.”
