England’s 2022 T20 World Cup hero Alex Hales announces retirement from international cricket
England’s T20 World Cup winning opening batter Alex Hales has announced his retirement from international cricket. Hales, aged 34, was one of the leading figures of England’s change in approach to white ball cricket under Eoin Morgan after the 2015 World Cup. He was also a key figure in them winning the 2022 T20 World Cup.
Hales had scored an unbeaten 86 to lead England to victory in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup against India(Reuters)
“I have decided to retire from international cricket. It has been an absolute privilege to have represented my country,” Hales said in a post on Instagram. “I’ve made some memories and some friendships to last a lifetime and I feel that now is the right time to move on.
“Throughout my time in an England shirt I’ve experienced some of the highest highs as well as some of the lowest lows. It’s been an incredible journey and I feel very content that my last game for England was winning a World Cup final.” Hales had earlier opted out of England’s T20I series against Bangladesh, opting to fulfil his contract in the Pakistan Super League.
Hales played 11 Test matches, 70 ODIs and 75 T20Is, having made his international debut in a T20 match against India in Manchester in August 2011. He was dropped from England’s 2019 ODI World Cup squad, and exiled from international cricket for three years thereafter, after news of a failed recreational drugs test broke a month before the tournament and spent nearly three years in exile.
While he never established himself as a long format player, Hales was one of the leading figures of England’s aggressive approach with the bat in limited overs cricket alongwith the likes of Jos Buttler, Jason Roy, Morgan, Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow. While this led to England winning the 2019 World Cup for the first time in their history, Hales saw that moment at home after Morgan stated that learning of failing recreational drugs test via the media represented “a complete breakdown in trust”. Hales returned to international cricket only after Morgan retired.
Hales scored 2419 runs at an average of 37.79 and a strike rate of 95.72 in 70 ODI matches. He scored 2074 runs at a strike rate of 138.35 and average of 30.95 in 75 T20Is. Hales last played an ODI match in March 2019 and was not in contention to play in the World Cup later this year.
Hales held the record for the highest score by an England batter in ODIs for two years. That came in August 2016 when he smashed 171 runs in 122 balls and led England to a world record score of 444/3. It was surpassed by his former opening partner Roy when the latter scored 180 in 151 balls against Australia in January 2018.
Surprise return in 2022
He made a surprise return to the England T20 squad in September last year after Bairstow was ruled out of the T20 World Cup. He played vital innings in England’s final two group games, scoring 52 and 47 against New Zealand and Sri Lanka. This was followed by him giving India a hiding as England thrashed the 2007 champions by 10 wickets in the semi-final. Hales scored 86 off 47 balls in an innings that included four fours and seven sixes as part of an unbeaten 170-run stand with captain Buttler. They made a mockery of the 169-run stand that India had set for them and Hales went on to describe it as “one of the best days of my career”.
Hales was also one of many candidates that England tried to out to find a suitable opening partner for Alastair Cook after Andrew Strauss’s retirement. He played 11 Tests between 2015 and 2016, scoring five half centuries and 27.28. He was dropped ahead of England’s 2016/17 winter tours. Hales’ last County game was in September 2017 after which he quit red-ball cricket.
