The Ashes 2023 series will kick on this Friday, June 16, at Edgbaston in Birmingham. The Ashes is the oldest cricketing rivalry and one of the most passionate ones among the fans and players. Playing and winning the Ashes is the ultimate goal for a Test cricketer in England and Australia.
The upcoming Ashes Cup 2023 will star some of the all-time great players on both sides. As we all know of it, both the teams include players of various origins, ethnicity, and backgrounds.
Interestingly, there are a couple of players who are of Pakistani origins or their families belong to Pakistan and will now be playing a crucial role in the upcoming Ashes 2023 series.
Here are 2 players of Pakistani origin that will feature in the Ashes 2023:
Moeen Ali
All-rounder Moeen Ali had announced his Test retirement a couple of years ago and last played a Test match in 2021 in India. However, after Jack Leach was ruled out of the Ashes 2023 series, England captain Ben Stokes inquired Ali of a comeback to the Test side for the all-important Ashes series.
While Moeen thought it was a joke initially, he soon realized playing in the Bazball team under Stokes and Brendon McCullum is a great opportunity and took the offer and is now set to play in the first Test in Edgbaston.
Ali has featured in 64 Tests for England in his career and is one of the finest ever all-rounders.
A practicing Muslin, although Ali was born in Birmingham, he is of Pakistani and English descent: his grandfather migrated to England from Mirpur, Azad Kashmir, part of Pakistan, while his grandmother, Betty Cox, was a white Briton. Moeen also speaks Urdu and Punjabi.
Usman Khawaja
Usman Khawaja is the first Pakistani-born cricketer to have played Test cricket for Australia when he made his debut in 2011.
Khawaja was born in 1986 in Islamabad, Pakistan, to Tariq Ansari. His family emigrated to New South Wales when he was 4 years old.
The left-handed batsman is one of the finest openers Australia have had in Test cricket. He had struggles for most of his career with inconsistency and doubts over his play outside Australia, but only recently, in the 2021/22 Ashes, did he cement his place properly. Khawaja has played 61 Tests for Australia, averages 46 with 14 hundreds.
