Hales runs risk of being odd man out
ALEX HALES admits his World Cup hopes are on the line this summer after losing his position as England’s one-day opener.
The explosive batsman goes in first drop in today’s third ODI against Australia as England look to wrap up the series.
But Hales conceded that with Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow looking locked down as openers and Ben Stokes’s return to the side likely to be at his expense, he needs runs to make a case for a starting berth at next summer’s World Cup.
“I’ve got to try to get my place back but that’s up to me. Those two have come in and done really well since the West Indies series,” he said.
“Jonny’s been knocking the door down for a few years now and every time he got a chance, he took it.
“So I guess now I’m in that position where I’m on the fringes and any chance I can get, it’s up to me to convert big runs and put some pressure on those two.”
Hales looked to have the opening position secure after replacing the misfiring Roy during the Champions Trophy in 2017 to great effect.
Yet his involvement along with Stokes in the Bristol street incident last October led to a temporary suspension from international duty and Roy, as his replacement, made the most of his second chance.
The Surrey batsman struck 84 and 96 in the remaining two matches of that series before posting an Englandrecord score of 180 against Australia at the start of the ODI series that followed the Ashes. Since then the two openers have shown little sign of weakness – Bairstow has smashed four centuries as opener since being paired with Roy, and he hit 120 in the second game of the Australian series on Saturday.
Hales knows only fireworks will get him back in but Trent Bridge at least offers a familiar platform from which to launch the retrieval mission.
Although he has temporarily given up on red-ball cricket,
he plays white-ball for Nottinghamshire and posted his highest one-day score (171) against Pakistan at Trent Bridge two summers ago.
Hales feels a decent knock is in the offing after recently showing some promising signs, including scoring halfcenturies against New Zealand and Scotland and having a start cut short at 26 by a ripper from Jhye Richardson in Cardiff on Saturday.
“I was disappointed not to get over the line against Scotland,” said Hales. “I got into a good position there and gave it away a little bit.
“I’m searching for my form a little bit, but in the nets I’ve been practising really well. I felt I got a really decent ball at Cardiff. Mentally, I feel pretty good and playing at our home ground, where I’ve got a good record, hopefully I can put in a big performance.”
The feeling remains that Hales’s stock fell significantly with England management that night in Bristol and there were suggestions Trevor Bayliss was not alone in being unhappy with his decisionmaking off the pitch.
Yet he remains a destructive force with the bat and, with the boundaries pulled noticeably short as Trent Bridge set up yesterday, this could be his stage.
England issued an injury bulletin on Stokes yesterday which appeared to give Hales at least three more chances to shine. Stokes will continue his rehabilitation with the England ODI squad following his hamstring injury and can now “bat fully and run at 90 per cent capacity”. He has been set the target of the opening T20 of three against India on July 3 as a comeback date.
Hales looks more secure in his position as opener in the shortest format alongside Roy but he accepts Stokes’s return in 50-over cricket is likely to see him ditched.
“Looking at the way it is, that’ll probably happen with me batting at three. That’s what happened when we went from Australia into the New Zealand series,” he said.
“But it can change quickly. It’s up to me to use these three games well and try to score as many runs as possible. It’s up to me to make sure I can stay in form, stay confident and keep putting pressure on the two openers.”
CHRIS WOAKES faces a fight to be fit to play in the first Test against India and admits the IPL may be to blame. The fast bowler suffered a quad tear in last month’s second Test against Pakistan which could rule him out until mid-August.
The injury came after a full IPL season and Woakes accepted that switching from one format to the other aggravated existing chronic tendinitis in his right knee.
“The IPL is a great thing,” he said. “But next year it will be a bit tricky. For a home World Cup you want to be in tip-top condition with the right cricket under your belt.” GIDEON BROOKS