'He argued with me on the phone' - Alex Hales called Rob Key after he was left out of the English T20I squad

England have announced their squad for the seven Twenty20Is in Pakistan this month and for the T20 World Cup, which starts in Australia in October. While Jason Roy was the most notable absentee from the white-ball squad, Alex Hales has been overlooked again. Former English cricketer Rob Key shed light on an interesting conversation with Hales in the aftermath of his omission.

Rob Key, the managing director of  England men's cricket team, revealed that opening batter Alex Hales, who was in contention for a recall to the national squad, after excelling with Trent Rockets in the Hundred, had contacted him to demand an explanation for his continued omission from England’s squad. Key stated that although Hales is not a part of the squad, injuries could yet, result in the 33-year-old playing at the World Cup later this year in Australia.

"I spoke to Alex Hales, he rang me actually, and he argued why he wasn't there and I think that's quite right too. 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 in a statement.

I feel Alex Hales has served his time for his misdemeanors: Rob Key

The former English cricketer stated that it was unfortunate for the batter as there is tremendous competition for a place in the national squad with all of the competitors excelling in their roles. He also reckoned Hales is not the only deserving candidate to miss out on a spot with others rightly having a question or two regarding their omission.

The managing director of England men's cricket team said :

"It's just an unfortunate time where there is a hell of a lot of very good players. People say it's a good problem to have but it's not straightforward with who you pick as a batter in this format of white-ball cricket because there are so many good options. There's a lot of people who have also missed out who quite rightly could have said 'how come I'm not in?'"

"I've said on a number of occasions that I feel Alex Hales has served his time for his misdemeanors. Now it's on form, selection, and whether we feel they are the best person to go out there. At the moment we feel Jonny Bairstow is that person."