England’s limited over skipper Eoin Morgan said that doors are still not closed for opener Alex Hales, but said the team management is spoiled when it comes to choices at the top of the order.
Alex Hales has not featured in England’s squad since testing positive for recreational drugs in the build-up to the 2019 World Cup resulting in a 'breakdown in trust' between him and the rest of his England teammates.
Since then the 32-year-old is playing franchise cricket all across the globe and is knocking on the doors of selectors with his performances. In the recent match in the Vitality T20 Blast for Notts Outlaws, the swashbuckling batsman sent another reminder of his talent with an unbeaten 60 off 24 balls.
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However, Alex Hales’ name was missing from the England squad which will take on Sri Lanka in the three-match T20I series.
"I think when you look at the player that he is and the performances that he puts in around the world, he's a very fine player. But when you look at the players that we have available to us at the moment were spoiled, and I think the longer you spend out of the side the further away you get from the position you once had," Eoin Morgan said during the virtual press conference.
Morgan said that there's not much space even in England middle-over because there are players who have constantly improved their performances to earn that spot.
"I think looking at our top order at the moment in particular, even behind our top 3 or 4 we have guys sitting behind there that have drastically improved their performance in the international shirt that are taking up a position," he said.
Eoin Morgan further said that he along with coach Chris Silverwood will have a conversation with Alex Hales, but to get all this done during the tough COVID-19 times is an issue.
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"I think there are conversations to be had between Alex, myself and the coach, and potentially a few of the players, but trying to get those happening in Covid times has been an issue. But they could happen at some stage," he said.
The three-match T20I series between England and Sri Lanka will start from today (23rd June).
(Cricbuzz inputs)
