Hales in clear but recall is long way off

By Richard Gibson

ALEX HALES’ international career could be over after the ECB’s new director of cricket Rob Key questioned whether he was good enough to make England’s limited-overs teams.

Hales, 33, was dumped on the eve of the 2019 World Cup having been hit with a 21-day ban for failing a second recreational drugs test. Last year, the Nottinghamshire batsman said he wanted to add to his 141 caps, while Key’s predecessor Ashley Giles suggested he could be reintegrated. Yet he was omitted from England’s 18-man Covid replacement squad that faced Pakistan in three ODIs last July.

At Lord’s this week, Key insisted players should not be punished indefinitely for indiscretions. However, asked specifically about Hales, he said: ‘I will have to speak to the people involved in that decision. I would have Alex Hales available for selection. I personally think he has done his time. But does that mean he gets in the team? That is a different debate.’