England cricketer Ben Stokes appreciated Alex Hales‘ comeback to the national team following an absence spanning over 3 years. The pair at present share a strained relationship on the back of a corrective issue in 2017, where they were involved in a street brawl in Bristol after an ODI against the West Indies.
Both players were handed discipline by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after an inquiry.
Hales’ return was helped by an early injury to wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow. The opening batter has been in great form and recently achieved The Hundred 2022 with the Trent Rockets.
His last aspect for the national team came in 2019 before he was indicted with a 21-day suspension for the use of a leisure drug prior to the ODI World Cup.
BREAKING: Ben Stokes and Alex Hales have been charged with bringing the game into disrepute by the ECB and will face an independent Cricket Discipline Commission hearing in December https://t.co/mphTtTpRDZ pic.twitter.com/ULbwZICAyH
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) September 18, 2018
Asserting that his and Hales’ sole goal is to succeed in the T20 World Cup for England, Stokes informed reporters ahead of the 3rd Test against South Africa:
“I think at the end of the day, everyone’s goal is to win that World Cup for England. My goal, Alex’s goal and everyone else who’s part of that squad’s goal is to win that World Cup.”
Designation the London-born batter as one of the finest batters in the shortest format of the match, Stokes said:
“And it’s an injury that presents an opportunity to someone else. Alex is definitely one of the best T20 players in the world. And unfortunately, with what happened with Jonny we had to call another player up and know Alex is definitely one of the guys that bowlers just don’t want to be bowling at in the T20 format.”
Stokes was also verbal in the judgment not to select Hales for the 2019 ODI World Cup. Eoin Morgan, who was the skipper of the side back then, sought the view of senior performers over the delicate place surrounding the opening batter. The all-rounder thinks that the addition of Hales to the team would have been a distraction for other cricketers.
“You want your best performer there to be taking that pressure on and he definitely is one of those” – Ben Stokes on Alex Hales
Jonny Bairstow’s injury, which decided him out of the next tour of Pakistan and the T20 World Cup, signified that England had to name a replacement to fill the vacancy at the top of the order. Alex Hales was among the pool of performers alongside Jason Roy, who did not originally find a place on the team.
Alex Hales has also been added to our squads for the #T20WorldCup and IT20 tour of Pakistan 🏏
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 7, 2022
With Eoin Morgan out of the game following his retirement from international cricket, England’s white-ball coach Matthew Mott and handling director Rob Key were clear to recall Hales back into the setup.
Assert that Hales is absolutely well-suited to play big games, Stokes said:
“I’ve not been in the leadership capacity with the white ball group for however long. I’ve obviously been resting and stuff like that. But when it comes down to the big moments in games and World Cup games, knockout games, you want your best players there to be taking that pressure on and he certainly is one of those.”
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