During his three-year absence from the team following a failed drug test just before the 2019 World Cup, England batter Alex Hales said that he has evolved as a person.
Hales was dropped from England's 2019 ODI World Cup squad when The Guardian newspaper revealed he was serving a three-week suspension for recreational drug use.
He further said that he is eager to put his experience and knowledge of the Australian conditions after playing in the Big Bash League to good use during the T20 World Cup 2022 down under in October.
Recently, Hales was named in the T20 World Cup 2022 squad as a replacement for the injured Jonny Bairstow.
“I think I have changed. I’ve definitely matured. I’m comfortably into my 30s now and turning into a veteran. At the end of the day, it was my fault, wasn’t it? … You have to look yourself in the mirror and try to improve as a person and learn from your mistakes,” he told reporters ahead of England’s T20 series in Pakistan.
The 33-year-old admitted that he did not think that the chance to play for his country would show up again. He also expressed his confidence that he could spur the team forward.
“I did think that the chance would not come again. It was disappointing not to be in the team for three years.
I felt like I’d been playing the best cricket of my career over those three years as well, so to get this chance again is something I’m really proud of and something I’m really looking forward to, especially the World Cup in Australia, somewhere I’ve got a lot of experience. I feel like I can help push this team forward,” he added further.
Before the T20 World Cup 2022, Jos Butler's men will take on Babar Azam’s Pakistan in a 7-match T20I series. The 1st T20I will be played on Tuesday (September 20) in Karachi.
(REUTERS INPUTS)
