Alex Hales desperate for England home return after ending exile at T20 World Cup

13 February 2023 , 11:13

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Alex Hales made his England comeback last year and helped them win the T20 World Cup (Image: Philip Brown/Popperfoto/Popperfoto via Getty Images)

Alex Hales is hoping to make his first England appearance on home soil in almost five years this summer, having enjoyed a successful return to international cricket last year.

Hales was axed by England on the eve of the 2019 50-over World Cup after it emerged he had failed a second drugs test and the opener remained sidelined for three-and-a-half years.

However, after Jason Roy lost form and Jonny Bairstow suffered a freak golf injury he was recalled for last year's T20 World Cup and helped England lift the trophy for the second time in their history.

And the 34-year-old is now hoping to pull on an England shirt at home for the first time since July 2018. "Long-term goals haven't been necessarily a thing of mine, but every time I've put on an England shirt at Trent Bridge it's been so so special," Hales said in an interview with his county Nottinghamshire.

"When I think of Trent Bridge, I think of a good buzz, a great atmosphere from the crowd and high-scoring games. So maybe those England games are in the back of the mind somewhere! Who knows, fingers crossed."

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Following his England recall, Hales went on to play a crucial role in their World Cup win as he smashed 212 runs at an average of 42.40, including an unbeaten 86 off just 47 balls in the dominant ten-wicket semi-final victory over India. England went on to beat Pakistan in the final by five wickets, with all-rounders Ben Stokes and Sam Curran starring.

"I've never been that nervous before in my life," Hales added of the World Cup final. "Pakistan have one of the best bowling attacks in the world, if not the best holding attack in the world, and they were pretty tricky conditions.

Hales is now hoping to pull on an England shirt on home soil for the first time since 2018 (PATRICK HAMILTON/AFP via Getty Images)

"The MCG was a tough place to bat throughout that World Cup with a lot of seam and a lot of bounce, which is kind of unlike the MCG – it's usually a fairly slow, flat pitch. I got a lovely ball off Shaheen early on which can happen; with the late swing he gets from a six-foot seven frame, in my opinion he's one of the best new-ball bowlers in the world.

"That meant I spent a lot of time in the changing rooms watching our chase, and it was a pretty long and nervy hour and a half or so! Had Shaheen not been unfortunate enough to pick up an injury it could have been much tighter.

"He was devastated when he got injured: we could actually hear him shouting and grunting from the changing rooms. But once Stokesy scored those runs off Iftikhar, we felt pretty confident we would get there. It was an awesome game of cricket, and it was amazing to get over the line."

Matthew Cooper