BBL 2019-2020: Sydney Thunder sign up Alex Hales for the upcoming season

Out-of-favour England batsman Alex Hales will have an opportunity to show England what they are missing when he plies his trade in the upcoming Big Bash League. The right-handed batsman has signed up for Sydney Thunder for the ninth season of the league. The Sydney-based outfit confirmed the signing on Wednesday (October 2). Alex Hales has signed a one-year deal and will join Chris Morris as the second overseas player with the side.

The hard-hitting batsman’s career took a big turn for the worse this summer. While all of his teammates were gearing up for the World Cup and eventually went on to win it, Hales lost his place in the team after positive drug test for recreational drug use. Recently, he was also stripped of his white-ball contract by England.

Hales will have a chance to impress the England management again in the BBL. He had a stunning outing in Vitality Blast where he scored 418 runs in 12 games at a strike rate of 140.26. Hales is no stranger to playing in the BBL. The top-order batsman has already plied his trade for the Melbourne Renegades, Adelaide Strikers, and Hobart Hurricanes but has not appeared since 2015.

Hales excited:

Expressing his delight over the deal, Alex Hales said he cannot wait to return to the competition. He said that the standard of cricket in the competition is ‘amazing’ and also had some words of praise for the city. Hales is also excited to work with head coach Shane Bond and is aiming to finish the competition as the highest run-scorer.

“I really can’t wait to return to the Big Bash,” Alex Hales said as quoted by Sydney Thunder’s official website. “It’s such a hugely respected tournament around the world. The standard of cricket is amazing and any chance you get to visit Australia and play over there is amazing, so I’m really looking forward to it.

“Sydney Thunder is the full package. Sydney is one of the best cities in the world, getting the chance to work with Shane Bond – who is a highly respected coach – and it’s a young club, so hopefully, I can be part of building a successful family there. As an opener, you want to be one of the leading run-scorers, so that’s definitely one of my aims,” he added.

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