Saturday 9 December 2017 10:26, UK
England all-rounder Moeen Ali says he is not fazed by the "kebab shop" comment directed at him from the crowd while he was fielding in the Ashes.
The Birmingham-born off-spinner described the exchange as "nothing major", saying it was the first example that came to his mind when he was asked about the comments he encountered during the series in Australia.
"Somebody asked me what time my kebab shop opened, but that is about it. It's nothing major," he said.
"From the crowd you get quite a bit. You get some good ones and you get some not so good guys but you take it on the chin. As much as sometimes you feel you want to [respond], you can't afford to do that.
"I just like to get on with my own game, and it doesn't faze me whatsoever."
There is a zero-tolerance approach to any transgression in this Ashes series, in line with the International Cricket Council's (ICC) anti-racism policy and accompanied by regular big-screen warnings throughout each day's play about the consequence of discriminatory behaviour.
Ali says the sledging between players themselves has been benign and restricted to jibes about his elevated position in England's batting order.
"One of the players asked if I was batting one place too high," he said. "I said I was actually two spots too high but it went straight over his head."
The 30-year-old says he has been more concerned by his own lack of productivity in the first two Tests, having taken just two wickets at the cost of 98 runs each compared to his opposite number Nathan Lyon's 11 at under 23 each.
"You feel like you've let the team down, and the captain down especially," said Moeen.
"Lyon is bowling so well. Everything from the revs to the areas he's bowling. He's just bowled the best I've seen him bowl. The hardest thing is you compare yourself to that, and then you try even harder."
