Last Updated on 2 years by Charbel Coorey
Cricket News: Will Alex Hales play for England in the T20 World Cup? | Update on Alex Hales and whether he will play for England
English opener Alex Hales is set to make a comeback to the T20I squad amidst Jason Roy’s poor run of form and Jonny Bairstow’s recent leg injury. Hales was a critical part of the white-ball setup prior to failing a recreational drugs test in the build-up to the 2019 ODI World Cup. Eoin Morgan labelled the incident as a complete ‘breakdown of trust’ and Hales was removed from the England setup.
However, the 33-year-old continued to prove his prowess in T20 leagues across the world. The tide finally appears to be turning in his favour in the wake of Morgan’s retirement from international cricket earlier this year. England men team’s managing director Rob Key has asserted that Hales has served his time as the dynamic opening batsman eyes a potential comeback in the T20 World Cup next month.
Experience in Australia key to an England return for Alex Hales
The news comes as Jos Buttler’s men are not heading into the upcoming T20 World Cup in the most ideal of circumstances. They have lost seven of the 11 T20Is they have played this year and are dealing with a host of injury concerns. The batting lineup has misfired with the likes of Roy and Buttler averaging merely 18.73 and 14.50 respectively in T20Is in 2022.
Bairstow has been in fine touch in recent months and his injury has dealt another major blow to the team combination. Newbies like Will Jack and Phil Salt have emerged as potential contenders to replace Bairstow.
However, the think-tank seems to be eager to consider calling back Hales given his experience particularly in Australian tracks. He averages 33.16 at a strike rate of 151.34 in 60 innings in the Big Bash League (BBL) so far. The batsman has scored 12 half-centuries along with a century and was even the top-scorer with 543 runs in 15 innings in the 2020-21 edition of the tournament.
Key will be naming Bairstow’s official replacement in the T20 squad this week and it remains to be seen if Hales manages to pip the likes of Jack and Salt for a spot in the final 15.
It will also put the spotlight on his equations with the senior pros in the squad. Skipper Buttler was one of the key players to have supported Morgan’s decision of sidelining Hales in the aftermath of the aforementioned incident in 2019. He is also reportedly not in the best of terms with Ben Stokes ever since the two of them were involved in a street brawl in Bristol in November 2017.
“I try and pick people on their ability as a cricketer really. He did the crime, he served his time, forgive, move on. He gets in that long line that Eoin mentioned. It’s a bit easier for him now because there is no Morgan, there is no (Ben) Stokes in 50-over cricket. There are a couple of opportunities,” former England skipper Nasser Hussain was quoted in a report by Sky Sports.
“But obviously at the top of the order you do have Will Jacks, you do have Jason Roy, you do have Phil Salt, you do have Will Smeed. But you cannot tell me from what we’ve seen in domestic franchises around the world that Alex Hales is not a serious cricketer. Try and pick your best side. But they may know something else. That inner core of senior players may not want him,” Hussain further opened up on the issue.
