Cricket May 26, 2026

Moeen Ali opens up on future England head coach ambitions and learning from Andrew Flintoff during Lions tour

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
Moeen Ali opens up on future England head coach ambitions and learning from Andrew Flintoff during Lions tour

Moeen Ali wants to gain some insights from Andrew Flintoff to become a more rounded coach in his bid to one day get the top job with England.

Flintoff, England's 2005 Ashes talisman and former captain, is overseeing the second-string Lions' white-ball tour against Pakistan Shaheens, with Moeen and Ben Stokes among his backroom staff.

"Definitely the goal is to be a head coach of an international cricket team," Moeen, who played 68 Tests, 138 ODIs and 92 T20s for England, said. "One day, being England head coach would be amazing.

"There's different aspects of coaching. Some people are more technical, some are more mental, some are more hands on and hands off. It's just working out what I'm good at and not so good at."

Now he is looking to enhance his knowledge as he transitions away from playing, Moeen is relishing the chance to pick the brains of Flintoff, whose Lions side play their first match in Abu Dhabi on Friday.

"It's just the way he goes about things," Moeen said. "We're quite different personalities; we're similar, but we're different in terms of the way we speak and when to say things.

"I want to ask him a few questions. Freddie has this aura about him. As a player and even as a coach, he doesn't get down, he understands emotions and players.

"Some coaches can be very up and down, very emotional, and Freddie's not like that. He has motivational talks and gives players that extra bit of confidence sometimes, which can be quite difficult to do.

"I'm looking more at that side because I would say the coaching I've done previously is more on the technical side of things. I'm really looking forward to working with him."

Moeen reversed a decision to retire to join Yorkshire for this year's Vitality Blast but he is studying for his ECB Level Three qualification.

Stokes joins the Lions in the United Arab Emirates while rehabbing from an adductor injury suffered during the Ashes. He has since undergone surgery on a broken cheek after being hit by a ball while coaching in Durham.

"I'm really looking forward to working with Ben," Moeen said. "I played a lot with Ben and spent a lot of time with him (during their playing careers). I think he'll be a terrific coach in the future."

Watch every game from the ICC Men's T20 World Cup live on Your Site Cricket, including the competition final on Sunday March 8. or

Tags:

cricket news

Share this article

Related Posts

England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt in Women's T20 World Cup fitness race after being ruled out of series vs New Zealand, India

England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt in Women's T20 World Cup fitness race after being ruled out of series vs New Zealand, India

England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt is in a fitness race against time for next month's T20 World Cup, having been ruled out of series against New Zealand...

Women's T20 World Cup 2026: Free live cricket stream of all England, Scotland, Ireland games and final on Sky Sports App

Women's T20 World Cup 2026: Free live cricket stream of all England, Scotland, Ireland games and final on Sky Sports App

Your Site will make all 12 group matches involving England, Scotland and Ireland, as well as the semi-finals and final of the 2026 ICC Women's T20 Wor...

England 'settling nicely' ahead of Women's T20 World Cup - but bigger test to come in India series

England 'settling nicely' ahead of Women's T20 World Cup - but bigger test to come in India series

First job done for England as they work through their pre-T20 World Cup checklist.secured a seventh straight bilateral T20 series victory over New Zea...

Ben Stokes: Nasser Hussain, Michael Atherton say England captain's lack of matches leads to 'too much tinkering'

Ben Stokes: Nasser Hussain, Michael Atherton say England captain's lack of matches leads to 'too much tinkering'

Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton have called for England captain Ben Stokes to avoid 'too much tinkering' in the nets by playing more competitive m...

County Championship: Yorkshire inflict Surrey's first defeat of the season with dominant victory

County Championship: Yorkshire inflict Surrey's first defeat of the season with dominant victory

Yorkshire wrapped up an impressive win by an innings and 127 runs at Headingley as Surrey slumped to their first defeat of the season in Division One...

England roll New Zealand for 80 in third T20 at Hove as Charlie Dean's side secure 2-1 series win with T20 World Cup looming

England roll New Zealand for 80 in third T20 at Hove as Charlie Dean's side secure 2-1 series win with T20 World Cup looming

England eased to a T20 series win over New Zealand with a seven-wicket victory in Monday's Hove decider after a ruthless bowling display rolled their...