Alex Hales added to England’s T20 World Cup squad

In what can be called a sensational decision by the England and Wales Cricket Board, Alex Hales has been added to England’s T20 World Cup squad as Jonny Bairstow’s replacement. The wicketkeeper-batter sustained a left ankle injury while playing golf which ruled him out of the gala tournament. While Jason Roy was initially expected to replace Bairstow, the selectors have called back Hales, who last represented England in May 2019.

On the eve of the 2019 World Cup, Hales, who was initially picked for the tournament, was found guilty of recreational drug use. He was subsequently expelled from the national team and had been waiting for a recall ever since then. Although the dasher continued to impress in T20 leagues around the world, England’s power-packed batting line-up kept Hales out of contention.

Alex Hales likely to join forces with Jos Buttler at the top 

However, with Bairstow out of the tournament, the selectors went back to Hales as the dasher has a plethora of experience of playing on Australian tracks. He’s all but likely to partner skipper Jos Buttler at the top of the order. Notably, Hales, who was the first England player to smash a T20I hundred, holds a significant amount of experience in the international arena. 

In 60 T20Is so far, he has scored 1644 runs which include eight half-centuries alongside a ton. Hales has time and again expressed his desire to represent the national team again. Rob Key, the managing director of  England men’s cricket team, recently revealed that Hales called him after being omitted from the initial squad for the showpiece tournament.