Alex Hales, England opener and one of the contenders for the World Cup 2019 spot has been suspended by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for 21 days for recreational use.

As per reports of the Guardian, the 30-year-old Nottinghamshire cricketer had recused himself from the Royal London One-Day Cup citing personal reasons, without setting a date for his return. This suspension for recreational drug use is his second such failure of the ECB drug policy.

Hales is still expected to attend England’s training camp in Cardiff this weekend. But the development is another blow for a player who was suspended and fined by England last year after he and Ben Stokes were involved in a street fight outside a Bristol nightclub in September 2017.

All professional men’s cricketers in England and Wales – as well as centrally contracted women’s players - are subject to hair follicle tests at the start and end of every season that can detect substances in the system for up to three months. First offense is dealt with rehabilitation, but the second offense invokes a three-week ban and a fine totaling 5% of the player’s annual salary.

Hales had to share this knowledge with Ashley Giles, the director of England cricket and only a third positive test result, which triggers a 12-month ban, enables the ECB or the county to tear up a player’s contract.

(The Guardian Inputs)