SA vs ENG: Alex Hales To Forgo England's Visit Of Bangladesh Prior To 2023 WC As The PSL Pays More

According to reports, England’s star opener Alex Hales plans to participate in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) rather than the impending trip to Bangladesh.

After being called up as a Jonny Bairstow injury replacement, Hales’ three-year absence from England came to an end last year when he played a significant part in their T20 World Cup victory, scoring 212 runs at an average of 42.40.

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Alex Hales Still Part Of England’s White Ball Cricket Plans

Hales will, however, miss England’s trip to Bangladesh in March to uphold his contract with PSL team Islamabad United, where he will receive almost £145,000 after being acquired as a platinum choice in the selection. This is according to a report from the Telegraph.

The opening batsman is still a part of England’s plans for white-ball cricket, according to the article, and they are “highly understanding of the situation and have not put pressure on Hales.” Despite the fact that Hales hasn’t participated in an ODI since 2019 and wasn’t chosen for the current South Africa series, it asserts that they are still considering picking him for the forthcoming 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.”

There are just seven more One-Day Internationals (ODIs) between England and New Zealand and Ireland before the tournament begins in October, though, since Hales is expected to miss the Bangladesh tour.

When Bairstow returns from injury, Mott has already said that he will “lock-in” the top slot in the order, so Hales will face tough competition from players like Jason Roy, Dawid Malan, Phil Salt, and the uncapped Will Jacks.

Since the T20 World Cup, Hales has played in the Big Bash League and the first ILT20, scoring 434 runs at an average of 86.80 for the Desert Vipers and 245 runs at an average of 30.62 for the Sydney Thunder.

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