Moeen is no ordinary cricketer. The Birmingham born-and-bred and very British Muslim did not expect the torrent of abuse he received at Edgbaston from the Indian supporting majority of the sell-out crowd when he played for England in their Twenty20 international.
After all, he was coming to the end of a season which saw him emerge as not only one of the most exciting talents in the English game but also the perfect role model for British Asians from similar inner-city backgrounds.
Yet the sheer scale of the booing, greater than that received by any other English cricketer with an Asian background and predominantly because of his Pakistani heritage, was evidence that he has much to do to convince those like him to follow him and embrace the domestic game.
