Moeen in spin over becoming celebrity

MOEEN ALI’S reluctance to embrace the limelight is illustrated by his admission he would be “too embarrassed” to collect the Sports Personality of the Year award.

The 30-year-old is a long shot for that honour even after a string of brilliant performances against South Africa that saw him become the first England all-rounder to take 25 wickets and score more than 250 runs in a Test series since Sir Ian Botham.

But his starring role in England’s revival under the captaincy of Joe Root and his distinctive beard, above, means he is now becoming a significant figure on the British sporting landscape – whether he likes it or not.

Moeen has been sharing the headlines in recent weeks with Neymar, the Brazilian footballer who moved from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain for a world-record £199 million transfer fee.

It has meant that even on family trips to his local farm, cricket’s latest star has been asked for autographs and selfies.

Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s first Test against West Indies at Edgbaston, Moeen said: “I do get quite a bit of recognition – I think it’s the beard. Most places you go to now, someone there will know who you are. But I don’t mind. If people want a picture or whatever it doesn’t bother me. It’s nice for the kids.

“I try to go places where I think I won’t get recognised. I took my family to the farm the other day and there were maybe two people who recognised me.

“I met someone the other day when the whole Neymar thing was on and they said, ‘I don’t know much about cricket but I’ve seen you. Neymar was on TV and then I saw you’.”

Moeen’s higher profile was brought home to him last weekend when he was a guest at Watford’s opening Premier League match against Liverpool at Vicarage Road.

“I went to Watford with a friend who told me I could go to the game if I did a five-minute interview with Watford TV,” he said.

“I was in London anyway but I ended up going on the pitch at half-time – it was quite embarrassing. And I had to tell the Watford fans I was a Liverpool supporter. There was a little bit of flak but they were nice.

“I was really surprised how many people knew who I was and asked for pictures and autographs.”