CRICKET: HALES FEARS AXE:
Alex Hales needs only to recall the last one-day international on his home ground for the inspiration he must find to avoid becoming the World Cup odd man out.
It was at Trent Bridge in 2016 that Hales hammered a then england record 171 against Pakistan and looked certain to open the batting in all white-ball cricket until next year’s 50- over World Cup and beyond.
But a chequered couple of years that have seen Hales give up his place by refusing to tour Bangladesh, then lose it through suspension after the Ben stokes affair, have changed all that.
Now, with Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow established as openers, Hales finds himself keeping a place warm for stokes in this Royal london series against australia and needing another big contribution to turn the tables again. stokes is expected to return for the T20 against australia on June 27.
‘I’m in a position where I’m on the fringes and have to take any chance I get,’ said Hales ahead of the third ODI, in which england can wrap up a series victory.
‘as it stands I’m probably the man who gives way when Ben comes back but it can change quickly and if I could pick a venue to bat at this would be it, particularly in white-ball cricket.’
england will never have a better chance to not only defeat australia but inflict a first ever 5-0 one- day whitewash on a team who have lost 13 of their last 15 50-over games to slip to sixth in the world rankings, their worst for 34 years.
But england know they must improve after a defeat in scotland and two victories over australia where they have failed to fully fire. ‘We haven’t quite been where we want to be this time next year so we’re all striving to improve,’ said Hales, who is still facing an eCB disciplinary inquiry later this year into his role in the ugly Bristol incident that has left stokes facing criminal charges.
‘australia will always come hard and will be thirsty to beat the english,’ Hales added.
One player england need back firing in time for the World Cup is Chris Woakes, who has been ruled out until at least next month’s one-day series against India with a ‘chronic’ knee injury and the torn thigh he suffered in the second Test against Pakistan.
It is a worry for Woakes, who missed the bulk of last season with a serious side injury, amid suggestions from his captain eoin Morgan that he is a ‘slow healer.’
‘The side injury last year was a lot more serious than first thought and the quad I hurt was a lot worse than thought,’ Woakes said. ‘I wouldn’t say I’m a slow healer by any means.’
ENGLAND (probable): Roy, Bairstow, Hales, Root, Morgan (capt), Buttler (wkt), Moeen, Willey, Plunkett, Rashid, Wood.
AUSTRALIA (probable): Head, Short, S Marsh, Stoinis, Finch, Maxwell, Agar, Paine (capt, wkt), Tye, J Richardson, K Richardson.