Alex Hales Cleared To Return For Nottinghamshire After England Snub

England opener Alex Hales is set to make his comeback to cricket for his county outfit Nottinghamshire. The opening batsman is likely to play against Durham in the Royal London One-Day Cup on Friday. Nottinghamshire, on Wednesday, released a statement to confirm that Hales is available for selection in white-ball cricket again. England had recently omitted Hales from all of their squads including the one for the World Cup in the wake of his 21-day ban for using recreational drugs.

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Last month, Hales had pulled out of Nottinghamshire’s Royal London Cup campaign, shortly after the World Cup squad was announced. At that time, the county had announced that Hales took an indefinite break due to undisclosed personal reasons. Later, media reports in England confirmed that Hales was banned for the use of recreational drug. While the ECB did not give an official update on the issue, a spokesperson confirmed that Hales is serving a suspension following an off-field incident not related to cricket.

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Hales will now set his sight on the county cricket as he looks to bring his career back on track. Hales’ career has been marred with off-field incidents in recent times. Prior to the latest setback, he had also landed in hot water for his role in the Bristol Brawl. With his contract with Nottinghamshire coming to an end after this season, Hales will be looking to put up a good show in order to get another from the county.

“The recent events in relation to Alex Hales have been difficult for everyone involved with Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. Alex’s off-field actions have, at times, fallen way short of the behaviours the Club expects from any of its staff,” read a statement from the county.

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“Following his withdrawal from all England squads this week, we have met with Alex to express our concerns and to re-iterate that such actions cannot continue. The meeting was open, honest and constructive and a way forward was agreed between both parties. Alex has expressed a great deal of regret and contrition for his actions and he has ultimately paid a heavy price.

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“He accepts that the position he finds himself in is of his own making. He knows he has a long road back to redeem himself in the eyes of many people, but that now has to be his aim. After much deliberation, we believe it’s in the best interests of all concerned for him to get back to playing cricket for Nottinghamshire as quickly as possible.

“With his suspension now served, he is available for selection for all white-ball cricket for the remainder of the 2019 season, starting with the fixture against Durham on Friday,” it added.