Adelaide. Till a few months ago, Alex Hales was not even involved in planning England’s T20 World Cup campaign but now he is the highest run-scorer for his team in this tournament. Hales spent three years alone outside cricket after he was dropped from England’s 2019 World Cup squad for failing a ‘recreational’ drug test. He plays in BBL. He got the benefit of experience on Australian soil. He has scored 211 runs at an average of 52.76 at a strike rate of 148.59.
He was on holiday in Cape Town with his girlfriend for four weeks in September this year when Jonny Bairstow suffered a serious ankle injury while playing golf. He was ruled out of the T20 World Cup and Alex got a chance. He played an unbeaten innings of 86 runs in 47 balls against India. His innings of 52 and 47 were crucial in England’s victories over New Zealand and Sri Lanka respectively. The 33-year-old, who made his 2011 debut for England, said, “I never thought I would play in the World Cup again and it is a special feeling to get the opportunity.”
His relationship with the English team management ended after a drug investigation. He was suspended for three weeks ahead of the 2019 World Cup, which turned into three years, which continued to be overlooked in the 2021 T20 World Cup. Hales, who has played 11 Tests and 70 ODIs for England, started focusing on the shorter formats. He played in six matches in IPL, then in PSL, CPL, BBL and ‘The Hundred’ in 2018.
Despite being out of the national team for three years, Hales is the third highest run-getter for England in T20 Internationals from 2011 to 2022. After Bairstow’s injury, Hales was included in the squad for the seven-match T20 series against Pakistan, after which he played in two T20 matches in Australia.