Hales turns his back on Test cricket
Raises fears of England’s limited over specialists opting for franchise cricket
Alex Hales announced on Tuesday he is turning his back on Test cricket after signing a new limited overs contract with county side Nottinghamshire following a similar decision by England teammate Adil Rashid.
Rashid last week said he intended to focus solely on shorter, white-ball cricket for Yorkshire this season and Hales has penned a deal until the end of the 2019 season that will see him feature only in 50-over and 20-over formats of the game. Hales’s decision is likely to strengthen fears England’s top limited-overs internationals could abandon first class, or red-ball, cricket, which includes five-day Test matches, in favour of playing in lucrative domestic Twenty20 competitions around the world.
Crucial innings
The opening batsman proved crucial in Nottinghamshire’s domestic white-ball double in 2017 and is a regular in England’s limited-overs setup with 58 one-day and 52 T20 international appearances.
But the 29-year-old’s decision seemingly ends his hopes of adding to his 11 Test caps, the last of which he earned in August 2016. “For the next 18 months I’m excited to focus entirely on limited overs cricket and want to be part of a Notts team that retains the white ball double and a World Cup winning squad with England,” he said in a statement on Twitter.
“The decision to focus on my white ball game wasn’t taken lightly or on the spur of the moment, it’s one I’ve thought long and hard about. It’s also one I’ve discussed at length with the Notts management.”
Hales is slated to feature in the upcoming Pakistan Super League with Islamabad United.