As Alex Hales is all set to return to the international arena after more than three years, England’s stand-in skipper Moeen Ali said that he is excited to see the opener bat in the upcoming seven-match T20I series against Pakistan, starting on Tuesday (September 20) in Karachi.
Hales was banned by the ECB ahead of the 2019 World Cup due to a recreational drug use misdemeanor. However, after working hard all those years in the domestic and franchise leagues across the world, Eoin Morgan’s retirement and Jonny Bairstow’s freak injury opened England’s door for Hales.
He is now part of England’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia as well.
Moeen Ali said in the Daily Mail: “I’m looking forward to seeing Alex Hales play. He is a gun player with experience of performing in Pakistan (Pakistan Super League) and Australia (Big Bash League) and as (captain) Jos (Buttler) said in the first press conference, we discussed it internally and no one had any issues with his recall. What’s done is done and we are looking forward to seeing him perform in an England shirt again.”
England is set to tour Pakistan for a historic Test series in December, and Moeen said that he might have to make a tough call on whether he would like to come out of test retirement or not before the series.
He explained, “There has been some talk in the media about the Test tour to Pakistan in December. Watching the Test side this summer has been amazing and seeing the way that Baz (Brendon McCullum) and Stokesy (Ben Stokes) have shifted the momentum. It has been a breath of fresh air.”
Moeen signed off by saying, “I know I said I was unretired this summer after Baz gave me a call. I have had a few conversations with Baz and he is a guy who is very tough to say no to! But I have got to be honest with myself; I retired from Test cricket for a range of reasons. I have not yet decided so let’s see. It is still a few months away but at the moment, my focus is on the opportunity immediately in front of us to prepare and give ourselves the best chance of winning another World Cup for England.”
(With IANS Inputs)
