Alex Hales could return to England squad if he rebuilds trust, says skipper Eoin Morgan

Alex Hales is having a brilliant Big Bash League outing for Sydney Thunder with over 550 runs in 16 innings, narrowly missing out on a place in the team of the tournament, which was announced recently. The Middlesex opener has not played for England since being dropped from the squad just ahead of the 2019 World Cup.

Hales had failed a test for the second time for recreational drugs, just a month before the World Cup, which turned out to be a successful one for the England side, as they were crowned world champions for the very first time, by beating New Zealand in a close final. Hales was handed a 21-day ban. His team, including skipper Morgan, said that he had broken the trust of the team with his actions.

Alex Hales has delivered impressive performances for Sydney Thunder this season

“Yes, absolutely. Alex is in fantastic form for Sydney Thunder at the moment but his form has never been a question about him coming back into the squad. What happened prior to the World Cup last summer was a complete breakdown in trust between Alex and the team,” Morgan was quoted as saying by Sky Sports Cricket.

On being asked about what it would take for Hales to be welcomed back into the team, Morgan added, “The way back in for Alex is to try and rebuild that trust and that takes a considerable amount of time. We are at that time at the moment.”

The opening ODI against South Africa in Cape Town will be played on Tuesday and will mark England’s return to the format after their World Cup-winning triumph in the final.  The two T20 ICC events – in Australia later this year and in India in 2021 – before the next 50-over World Cup in India in 2023 will be the focal points for Morgan and his men. Morgan said that he will be using the ODIs, to build depth in the team with a focus on the two T20 World Cups.

Tom Banton, Saqib Mahmood, and Matt Parkinson could make their ODI debuts in the first game. “I think we use ODIs as a great opportunity to build strength in depth throughout our squad. This series, as a starting point, will see guys come in and make their debuts and give people opportunities to stake a claim for positions that have been cemented for some time now,” said Morgan, while mentioning that Buttler and Stokes will be rested.

Watch: Irfan Pathan’s interview post his retirement