Hales a distance off recall – Morgan

CRICKET: Eoin Morgan explained that Alex Hales potentially jeopardising England’s World Cup hopes last summer is the chief reason why the Nottinghamshire batsman is still in international purgatory.

There has been some speculation that, with England preparing to effectively run two separate squads for Tests and limited-overs matches in a summer revamped because of coronavirus, Hales could earn a shot at redemption.

He lost his squad berth in last year’s World Cup triumph after news broke that he had failed a second test for recreational drugs, with Morgan declaring he had lost the trust of his teammates.

That has yet to be regained, according to Morgan, even though seamer Chris Woakes said last week that he would welcome Hales back into the England fold.

“Alex is in a unique position, probably in a position nobody else has found themselves in before,” Morgan said.

“On the cusp of a World Cup, the huge breakdown in trust between him and the players was extremely dramatic, given the circumstances surrounding the four years and the build-up and the way things unfolded.

“I’ve spoken to Alex and certainly see an avenue for him to come back to playing cricket but like in life and in any sport, when there’s a breakdown of trust, the only healer in that is time.

“It’s only been 12 or 13 months since the incident which could have cost us four years of hard work. Given it could have derailed a World Cup campaign, I think it might take some more time, yes.”