Alex Hales’ hopes of an international recall suffered a setback on Wednesday when England limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan said it would take “more time” for the Nottinghamshire batsman to regain trust following a drugs ban.
Nottinghamshire opener Hales was dropped from the World Cup squad shortly before last year’s tournament after it emerged he had tested positive for drugs.
England went on to win the event on home soil in dramatic fashion without him and he has not played international cricket since.
Photo: AFP
England are set to name a training squad of up to 45 players today and it is unlikely players would be allowed to move between formats. England are aiming to cram a full program of Test and limited-overs internationals into a season that is due to start in July at the earliest after the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the initial few months of their summer campaign.
That led to suggestions Hales, who has made three of England’s five highest Twenty20 scores, was in line for a recall, but even though England all-rounder Chris Woakes last week said that Hales deserved a “second chance,” Morgan appeared to be in a less-forgiving mood.
“On the cusp of a World Cup, the huge breakdown in trust between him and the players was extremely dramatic,” said Morgan, speaking at an online event to mark the 15th anniversary of cricket charity Chance to Shine, which promotes the game in British schools. “I’ve certainly spoken to Alex and see an avenue for him to come back, [but] it’s only been 13 months since the incident. Given that it could have derailed a World Cup campaign, I think it will take more time, yes.”
“It’s not about performance with Alex, he’s a fantastic player and it’s never been discussed as to whether he’s good enough to be in the squad,” Morgan said. “It’s about on and off the field, and values we adhere to.”
Hales might also have been looking at a recall this season as a way of forcing his way back into the squad for the World Twenty20 in Australia later this year.
The International Cricket Council earlier on Wednesday said that reports the tournament would be postponed due to the pandemic were “inaccurate,” while adding that it was examining contingencies.
However, Morgan was skeptical about the prospects of the Oct. 18 to Nov. 15 tournament going ahead as planned given what he forecast would be the Australian government reluctance to let overseas teams into a nation where there have been only 103 deaths from COVID-19.
“I’d be surprised if it goes ahead,” Morgan said. “My reasons for that would be if you look at how Australia have handled the pandemic, they’ve shut down the borders pretty early, had a limited number of cases and deaths in comparison to the rest of the world.”
Morgan, 33, said that he hopes to lead England at the Twenty20 World Cup, whenever it is, and at the following edition in India next year, despite a longstanding back problem.
The left-hander also hopes form and fitness would allow him to be involved in the defense of England’s 50-over title in India in 2023.
“I think a lot of that is going to be dependent on my body,” Morgan said. “If my back continues to get better, yes, that could be a chance. If it continues to deteriorate, you can’t look past the T20 World Cups.”
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