MOEEN PLAYED DOWN ‘OSAMA’ ABUSE

MOEEN ALI and coach Trevor Bayliss allowed alleged racist abuse to be swept under the carpet by Australia in 2015 due to a desire not to cause “too many problems”.

After claims in Moeen’s autobiography that he was referred to as “Osama” by an Australia player during the Ashes, coach Bayliss has confirmed the matter went no further than a quiet word with counterpart Darren Lehmann, despite some England players wanting stronger action.

They were persuaded to back off by Moeen because as Bayliss describes, he did not want to “create too many problems” for anyone, which is why the coach left it there rather than complaining to higher authorities.

“No, he didn’t want it to go any further,” said Bayliss, now back in Australia. “He was happy for it to be dealt with between the two teams.

“He’s a very softly spoken sort of a bloke. He doesn’t want to create too many problems for anyone.

“There were other players in the team who wanted to, but he talked them into not taking it any further.

“Well, I didn’t get a response. I just left it with Darren to sort out one way or the other. I didn’t hear any response, but everything was dealt with then.”

Moeen led Worcestershire Rapids to glory in Saturday’s T20 Blast final, scoring 41 to help beat Sussex by five wickets in the final.

He also excelled with the ball, taking 2-16 in the semi-final against Lancashire and 3-30 in the Edgbaston final – his victims including international team-mates Jos Buttler and Luke Wright.