Alex Hales has reportedly committed to play the entire Pakistan Super League with Islamambad United, meaning the 34-year-old will miss England’s tour of Bangladesh in March
England opener Alex Hales is reportedly set to miss the upcoming tour of Bangladesh in order to play in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) instead.
Hales’ three-year England exile came to an end last year as he played a crucial role in their T20 World Cup win, smashing 212 runs at an average of 42.40 after being called up as an injury replacement for Jonny Bairstow.
However, according to a report from the Telegraph, Hales will miss England’s trip to Bangladesh in March to honour his contract with PSL side Islamabad United, where he will earn around £145,000 after being signed as a platinum pick in December’s draft.
The report states that England are ‘highly understanding of the situation and have not put pressure on Hales’, with the opener still part of their plans in white-ball cricket.
It claims that, although Hales has not played an ODI since 2019 and was not picked for the ongoing series against South Africa, they remain open to selecting him for the upcoming 50-over World Cup.
“To me white-ball cricket is white-ball cricket,” England coach Matthew Mott said of Hales’ ODI prospects following the T20 World Cup win. “He’s shown he’s not a slogger of the ball.
“He’s a proper cricketer and there’s absolutely no reason why he couldn’t get in that 50-over team. We’ve got some tough selections coming up, and we don’t play a lot of one-day cricket, but I’m sure if he keeps in this rich vein of form he’ll be hard to keep out.”
