Former England test captain Alastair Cook and all-rounder Moeen Ali had indulged in an on-air argument in the Ashes series earlier this year. The duo discussed the incident putting their sides forward during ongoing England vs New Zealand test match.

Moeen Ali had made a comment praising Joe Root’s leadership, expressing that he had a lot more emotional attachment to the players than Alastair Cook. His comments did not go down well with Alastair Cook. The former England batter took them personally and expressed his disappointment.

“Are you just criticizing my captaincy?” Cook asked. He further tried to defend himself by pointing out that Moeen had been dropped a lot of times under Joe Root’s captaincy. The off-spinner responded by saying that he has batted at a number of positions under Cook’s captaincy. The video of the incident went viral on social media.

During New Zealand vs England test match, Moeen Ali and Cook discussed the incident.

“I was coming back from a holiday, walking straight back to the studio at midnight. I met the all-smiling Mo (Moeen), as he always is, very happy. Anyway, half an hour into the shift, he basically told everyone who is watching and listening, ‘I wasn’t a very good captain and I wouldn’t be a very good coach’. That’s kind of how it went. So I actually feel as if I have nothing to defend here,” Cook said on BBC’s Test Match Special.

Sir Alastair Cook 🗣️ "He told everyone I wasn't a very good captain!"

Moeen Ali 🗣️ "I was saying that Rooty has a lot more empathy for his players than you do!"

The duo discuss *that* viral video…

📻 Listen to @bbctms on @BBCSounds#BBCCricket #ENGvNZ pic.twitter.com/SqdwmAKWsr

— Test Match Special (@bbctms) June 11, 2022

It was a little bit out of context – Moeen Ali on the ‘on-air argument’ with Alastair Cook

The England off-spinner Moeen Ali expressed that his quotes were taken out of context. He added that he only praise Joe Root’s leadership and did not criticize Cook’s captaincy. Replying to Alastair Cook’s statement, Moeen Ali said.

“It was a little bit out of context. I was saying basically that Rooty had a lot more empathy for players than you did! And I never mentioned once that you’re not a good captain or if you are or aren’t better than Rooty. And then, you took it personally to heart and it went viral.”

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