Moeen Ali is on the shortlist for the coveted Sportsman Of The Year award at the first ever British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards (BEDSA) sponsored by Lycamobile on February 21 at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry.
The Worcestershire and England all-rounder will go head to head with Commonwealth Games silver medal sprinter Adam Gemili and world champion cyclist Kian Emadi for the award.
BEDSA celebrates excellence amongst Britain’s outstanding Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) sportspeople.
Eight out of the ten awards at the event will be voted for by the public.
Categories include those for sportswoman of the year, young sportsperson of the year, unsung hero of the year, coach of the year, inspirational performance of the year and lifetime achievement.
Moeen experienced an outstanding 12 months with club and country.
He scored his maiden Test century against Sri Lanka at Headingley, took 6-63 in the win over India at the Rose Bowl, earned a central contract, and notched his first ODI ton against Sri Lanka in Colombo.
He also helped Worcestershire gain promotion from Division Two of the LV = County Championship, averaging over 60 with the bat from his eight appearances.
Subaskaran Allirajah, Group Chairman, Lycamobile commented: “The BEDSAs are a great opportunity to highlight the outstanding contributions British ethnic minorities make to the country’s sporting achievements.
"As a company we have a long and proud record of supporting sport from the grassroots to the highest professional level, and we see our integral involvement in the BEDSAs as another piece of this long-term commitment.”
Arun Kang, CEO, Sporting Equals, said: “We are delighted to be working with Lycamobile, a brand with a great track record engaging with ethnic minority communities across the UK.
"Over half of British BME people do no sport or physical activity, so we see the Lycamobile BEDSAs as a perfect way to celebrate the best BME athletes around and encourage more participation from the community upwards.”
