BASHES TO ASHES

Big hitter Hales out to Blast his way back into frame for Oz tour

ALEX HALES today carries Nottinghamshire’s threat like a caveman’s club in the Natwest T20

Blast finals at Edgbaston.

With an eyewatering strike rate of 206.38 runs per 100 balls – easily the highest among the tournament’s leading scorers – Hales has emerged from a memorable month with his Ashes hopes restored.

The Outlaws will complete a clean sweep of limited-overs trophies if they are last men standing in English cricket’s all-day slog fest. And nobody has done more to establish Notts’ landing as the premier white-ball force on the county circuit than Test discard Hales. As well as a championship double hundred, 478 runs in the Blast and a record-breaking, six-spattered 187 in the Royal London Cup final against Surrey, Hales has the look of a cricketer reborn.

England have failed to find reliable operators in three of their top five and if the Outlaws prevail over Hampshire in today’s semifinals then either Birmingham Bears or Glamorgan in the final, Hales could find clean hitting is a short-cut back to the Test arena.

He cut a distracted figure last year after falling for a second-ball duck in the last four against eventual winners Northamptonshire.

And he insists the Outlaws – granted permission by England to play Stuart Broad – will “have to win it the hard way” against Hampshire’s three-pronged spin attack of Mason Crane, Liam Dawson and ‘Boom Boom’ himself, Shahid Afridi.

Hales, whose Twenty20 trail of violence this summer includes 95 from 30 balls against Durham and a 47ball hundred against Yorkshire, said: “I think Hampshire are the toughest team we could have played. “They have a great record and their style of play suits a wicket at Edgbaston in early September.

“We will have to put the yards in and be at our best if we are going to beat them.”

In the other semi, the Bears can play England allrounder Chris Woakes against Glamorgan – and the home side’s qualification for finals day has led to a 25,000 sell-out crowd.

Warwickshire are bottom, heading for relegation, in the county championship’s first division, but director of sport Ashley Giles has found some comfort in their white-ball success.

Former England limitedovers coach Giles said: “People will be disappointed with our championship season, but the last few weeks show some signs of progress.”