Alex Hales announces retirement from international cricket, will continue playing for Nottingham

England cricketer Alex Hales announced his retirement from international cricket on Friday, August 04. Hales represented England in 156 matches across all three formats and was a part of their victorious campaign in the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. The 34-year-old expressed his delight on playing the World Cup 2022 final as his last international game and further stated that he will continue to play for Nottingham.

Post-retirement, the swashbuckling opening batter will be seen plying his trade in franchise cricket all around the world. Hales made his international debut during a T20I against India on August 31, 2011 and went on to play 11 Tests, 70 ODIs and 75 T20Is for his nation with 5066 runs to his name across formats.

The Hillingdon-born batter finished as the second-highest run scorer for England during the T20 World Cup 2022 with 212 runs to his name at an average of 42.40 and a strike rate of 147.22 with two fifties to his name.

He played an integral part in England’s revival in the ODIs following their debacle in the 2015 ODI World Cup where they got knocked out in the first stage itself. Apart from the highs experienced on the cricket pitch, he also had his fair share of controversies in his 11-year-long career.

The 34-year-old was suspended from the ODI side following a brawl outside a nightclub in Bristol in September 2017 which paved the way for Jason Roy’s sensational comeback in the England side.

Alex Hales wasn't selected for ODI World Cup 2019

He was further banned for 21 days in April 2019 after testing positive for recreational drug use. The incident led to him being removed from the preliminary squad for the 2019 ODI World Cup. The then England skipper Eoin Morgan also openly said that the team will not be able to trust him after that and he was further ignored for the T20 World Cup 2021.

However, Hales was finally recalled to the England squad ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022 getting selected in the team in place of injured Jonny Bairstow. The opening batter accepted the opportunity with both hands and retired from the game as a ‘World Cup Champion’.