Kabir Ali starts coaching school following Lancashire departure.

Former Lancashire bowler Kabir Ali says he is enjoying the opportunity to give something back to cricket after establishing his own coaching school based in Birmingham.

Since being released by Lancashire at the end of the 2014 season, the former England fast-bowler has started coaching clinics where he hopes to inspire the next generation of cricketers by teaching them new skills.

The 34-year-old was out of action towards the end of last year with a shoulder injury, which prevented him from playing in the final of the Natwest t20 Blast.

Ali claimed 17 wickets in seven County Championship matches last season and played a crucial role in their limited-overs success, taking 20 wickets in 11 games to help the Lightning reach the final at Edgbaston.

He said: “I always wanted to stay in the game one way or another. I’ve played the game for 16 years and I’m lucky to have played with and against some high quality bowlers, so I’ve obviously learned quite a bit myself. I want to pass on that knowledge and experience to youngsters.

“The idea has been there for a couple of years now but with my commitments of playing for Lancashire there hasn’t been a lot of time to be serious about coaching, but that’s all changed this winter.

“I think the biggest problem youngsters have is that they know how to bowl up and down straight, but bowling yorkers, slower balls and identifying situations of games and trying to counteract them is something I’m trying to work on.

Ali was a vital part of Lancashire's t20 success.

“It’s for any kind of age, I’ve got kids from 11 years of age teaching them what I know and then I have kids travelling from Manchester, London and even Leeds. I’m trying to teach them using my past experiences and mistakes I have made and it’s quite nice when they ask you questions because you try and answer them as honestly as you can.

“I have been rehabbing my shoulder during that time and I just want to give something back to the community. I’ve seen the surgeon a couple of times and he is very upbeat and positive about my shoulder. I’ve been having weekly treatment on it in Birmingham and even travelling to Manchester every other week to get it checked.

“I’ve also set a fast-bowling camp in Mumbai. I’m looking to take fast bowlers around March-April near the Easter break just before the cricket season starts. It will be a really good experience for them to go out and do some bowling and to play in Indian conditions and to learn some different skills.

“I’ve set this up with Zaheer Khan, India’s fast bowler. He has a gym called ‘Pro Sport’ and the boys who join us will be expected to work pretty hard on their fitness. It will be a 10-12 day camp and it will be a great learning experience for them. I’m interested in any talented kids, batsman or bowlers, to take to India to try and improve their skills.”

Ali sustained a shoulder injury in Lancashire’s 50-over game against Hampshire in July and he managed to recover enough to feature in Lancashire’s semi-final victory over Hampshire in the t20 blast, claiming 1-15 in two overs before his injury prohibited him making the final.

Ali bowling in the game where he
 sustained his shoulder injury.

Talking about his shoulder injury, he said: “Luckily I managed to get myself fit enough for the semi-final but unfortunately I didn’t quite make it for the final. It was a great day and a really enjoyable couple of years at Lancashire.

“I’ve never set dates on coming back from injuries because you never know. You feel good for a couple of days and then you don’t feel so great or you get a setback, so just to avoid any disappointment I don’t like to set a date on injuries. I’d rather take an extra couple of weeks than try to come back too soon.”

“I really enjoyed my time at Lancashire. I made some good friends and learned quite a lot as well. I’ve enjoyed my cricket, it was a pleasure working under Peter Moores, and I think he is one of the best coaches alongside Tom Moody I’ve ever worked with.

“It was a shame to have to end my time at Lancashire but I picked up my shoulder injury at the wrong time of the season and I completely understand. I shall be looking forward to getting back on the park next year.

"I really enjoyed the changing room atmosphere at Lancashire they support each other well through the good times and the bad times. It was a great changing room, especially when you had people like Simon Katich, Ashwell Prince, Paul Horton and Tom Smith and also Glen Chapple who is a legend of the game."

Ali also commented on Lancashire’s recent signing of Alviro Petersen and he believes that this signing will have a positive impact on the dressing room.

“He’s a great signing for Lancashire after a period at Somerset. His record speaks for itself really and you can’t doubt his ability. I think he is going to be a really good signing and I think youngsters will definitely learn quite a bit from him.

“When you’ve got players of that caliber like Katich and Prince in the dressing room it has a knock-on effect on confidence throughout the team and when you have these guys they’re legends and they do bring positive energy with them.”

Ali believes Lancashire have what is takes to make an immediate return to Division One of the County Championship, but understands that there are no guarantees in a highly competitive league.

“Lancashire have a quality side. I never thought we would have been relegated last year but we did and funny things happen in sport and hopefully Lancashire will bounce back. It all comes down to working hard and sometimes you need a bit of luck in this game as well and I’m sure the players will do well next season with the excellent coaching staff at Lancashire.”

For further information, please see the poster with details for contacting Kabir Ali about his coaching school in Birmingham, or to be a part of the coaching tour to India.