The prodigal son of Nottingham, who had been barred from playing for England for three years, was reinstated to the World Cup squad following dazzling exploits in franchise cricket.
Alex Hales endured the Southee-Boult storm to score a reassuring fifty against New Zealand, in a crucial Twenty20 match. This also marked his return to big runs after a tough exile and time away from the national squad. Seven fours and a six were included in his 40-ball score of 52.
He was originally from South Buckinghamshire and got relocated to Nottingham at an early age. In all international contests at this stadium, the batter had a batting average of 90 and a strikeout rate of 139. As the opening batsman for the innovative Eoin Morgan squad, he was a player of enormous skill.
The journey of not being selected to be part of the world cup-
By 2022, Hales had become one of the world’s premier T20 franchise players. His statistics were astounding.
The right-hander has scored 4827 runs at a strike rate of 150 in T20s during this era. So many former England players and commentators felt that he should rejoin the team.
Despite his absence from the national team, the batter maintained his optimism. He continues to play cricket for franchises around the world. He was a member of the Rangpur Riders, the Barbados Tridents, the Durban Heat, the Sydney Thunder, the Karachi Kings, and the Trent Rockets.
Hales also won trophies with Karachi Kings in 2020 and Trent Rockets in 2022, playing a significant role as an opener in both victories.
Sydney Thunder’s Alex Hales finished the 2020-21 season as the Big Bash League’s leading scorer.
Alex Hales and Controversies- a never-ending story-
Alex Hales, despite his potential, had off-field baggage. Before the 50-over World Cup, the 33-year-old was dropped.
The opener failed a second drug test. It was painful. It’s a cricketer’s worst nightmare to be in a World Cup squad, miss, out on the eve of it, and then watch his team win.
This wasn’t his first controversy. In 2017, he and England’s red-ball captain Ben Stokes were tried for a nightclub fight. Stokes and Hales fought Ryan Ali and Ryan Hale outside Bristol’s Mbargo nightclub on September 25, 2017. Both athletes weren’t arrested, but their reputations suffered.
Eoin Morgan- the leader-
Eoin Morgan called Alex Hales’ 2019 incident a “complete contempt” for the team’s ideals, and he never accepted Hales into the England white-ball squad.
Morgan’s attitude toward Hales softened with time. “He’s a really good player based on his performances across the world,” Morgan stated in 2021 to Sky Sports about Hales’ England chances.
The comeback of Alex Hales-
Eoin Morgan resigned from international cricket this year. Hales wasn’t brought back by Morgan’s retirement alone. Jason Roy averaged 18 with a 104 strike rate in 2022, T20Is. Jason Roy failed despite the opportunity.
After Morgan’s departure, Jos Butler led the team in a T20I bilateral series against India, in which they lost 2-1, and another series against South Africa, in which they also lost 2-1. Roy opened both series with Butler.
Here, Nottingham’s fortunes have changed. He was chosen in the England World Cup squad after returning to the T20I squad for the Pakistan trip.
Alex Hales had scored 244 runs at a 138 strike rate and a low 20s average, since his return. His world cup campaign had started softly until this 52 (40). England won their first game against Afghanistan but lost to Ireland at MCG, making the NZ match crucial.
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