The England squad for the T20 2022 in Pakistan as well as for the T20 World Cup 2022, has been announced. While batter Jason Roy was missing from the team, Alex Hales once again faced disappointment.
Hales was one of the top contenders to get a recall to the national squad, following his excellent performance at the Trent Rockets in the Hundred. Rob Key, the managing director of England men’s cricket team, stated that injuries could result in Hales playing at the World Cup later this year in Australia. Key also shared how after his omission from the England squad, Hales contacted him demanding an explanation.
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In an interview with ESPNcricinfo, Key said, “I spoke to Alex Hales, he rang me actually, and he argued why he wasn’t there.”
The managing director wasn’t disappointed with the cricketer’s approach. He stated that it was far better than going behind the scenes moaning about why they’ve not been picked.
“I much prefer when these people pick up the phone and say, ‘come on then, why wasn’t I there?’ I have a huge amount of respect for that as opposed to people who go behind the scenes moaning about why they’ve not been picked,” Key said.
The managing director believes that Hales has served his time for his misdemeanors. The decision has come down to “form, selection, and whether we feel they are the best person to go out there.” At the moment, they have their faith rested in Jonny Bairstow.
Highlighting the tremendous competition to get a place in the national squad, the former English cricketer reckoned Hales is not the only deserving candidate to miss out on a spot.
According to Key, “It’s just an unfortunate time where there is a hell of a lot of very good players.” Even though people call it a “good problem”, the selection procedure and decisions become all the more complex. “There’s a lot of people who have also missed out who quite rightly could have said ‘how come I’m not in?” he added.
Moeen Ali will lead the English squad for the seven-match T20I series against Pakistan, from September 20 to October 2. Though Liam Livingstone and Chris Jordan are not part of the bilateral series, they are expected to be fit for the T20 World Cup, slated to be held later this year in Australia.
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