Alastair Cook and Moeen Ali indulge into heated argument on air during second Test match

During a show in the Ashes 2021-22, former England captain Alastair Cook and Moeen Ali got involved in a heated argument four months back. The English off-spinner told that as a captain, Joe Root had a lot more emotional attachment than Cook.

However, this statement did not go well with the former captain as he came up defending himself. He also asked Moeen if he was criticizing his captaincy or not. Cook also said that Root had dropped the all-rounder a lot during his tenure. However, Moeen also said that under Cook’s captaincy, he had to bat from 1 to 9 during his first international year. This argument came up again in the ongoing England vs New Zealand Test series when they both shared the commentary box.

Joe Root had a lot more empathy than you: Moeen Ali

The video had been shared on Twitter where it has been found that Cook recalled the incident. Cook said it was Moeen who told everyone how bad a captain or coach I could be. Speaking on BBC’s Test Match Special, he said: “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,”

Here is the shared video:

https://twitter.com/bbctms/status/1535592505319870464

In reply, Moeen Ali clarified by saying that it was totally out of context and Cook took it personally. 

“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,” Ali concluded.