Hales’ imminent return to England not Likely: Eoin Morgan
Image : Collected
|| Desk report ||
England ODI captain Eoin Morgan has expressed Alex Hales’ return to international cricket needs ‘more time’ saying that he could have ‘derailed’ last year’s World Cup bid.
England will next week name a training squad of 30 players with a view to playing Tests and limited-overs games against West Indies and Pakistan ahead.
“I’ve spoken to Alex and certainly see an avenue for him to come back - but when there's a breakdown of trust, the only healer is time,” said Eoin Morgan under whose captaincy England tasted their first-ever 50-over World Cup triumph on home territory in 2019.
“It’s only been 12 or 13 months since the incident, which could have cost us four years of hard work,” Morgan also said.
“Given it could have derailed a World Cup campaign, it might take some more time,” he added.
Nottinghamshire’s Hales averages almost 38 in 70 one-day internationals and was the second highest run-scorer in last winter's edition of the Big Bash League, Australia’s domestic T20 competition.
“It’s obviously not about performance with Alex,” the 33-year-old captain said.
“Playing cricket for England is about on and off the field - values we adhere to - and Alex showed complete disregard for them,” he also said.
“He needs to build that up for as long as he can and then hopefully an opportunity will present itself down the line,” he signed off.
