Moeen Ali said plenty of people told him not to come to Yorkshire, but the 38-year-old postponed retirement anyway and has helped the county begin its T20 Blast campaign with three straight wins.

The timing matters because Yorkshire now head into Friday’s Roses showdown with Lancashire at Headingley with momentum behind them and one of England’s best-known all-rounders already shaping the mood around the squad. Ali said he was intent on joining after a chat with Jonny Bairstow, and he has quickly become part of a push for Yorkshire’s first T20 Blast trophy.

Ali’s decision also lands in the shadow of the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal, which left Yorkshire working through one of the most damaging episodes in county cricket. He said the club had done a lot of work since then, and that the reaction from others only pushed him harder. “A lot of people I spoke to advised me against coming to Yorkshire and that actually made me want to come even more,” he said. “A lot of people were disappointed with me coming to Yorkshire, but if you can change the mind of one person you’ve done a great job.”

That is the friction in his move: Ali wants the runs and wickets to matter first, but he has also made clear he sees a wider role. He had spoken when he first signed about wanting to build bridges, and he repeated that instinct this week by saying his aim was to do well for Yorkshire and, hopefully, win a trophy within the next two years. “I just want people to come and express themselves, play their game and enjoy the game with everybody else,” he said. “You just want to make it easier for everyone, give them the idea that no matter what background you are from, no matter what you look like, no matter what you do, there is no sort of barrier in the way. That’s what it is about and that’s how it should be.”

For Yorkshire, the early results have given the signing immediate weight: three opening games, three wins, and a Roses fixture that now carries more than local bragging rights. What remains unanswered is how many matches Ali will actually play and whether his presence can turn a strong start into the club’s first T20 Blast title.