We cannot write off India and Pakistan in the World Cup, says Alex Hales

Alex Hales played a crucial role in the English side’s drastic limited overs transformation in the last three years and he is certainly going to feature in the World Cup squad next year. The battle for the coveted trophy will kick-start in less than a year and the hosts England are one of the firm favorites to lift the title.

The 29-year-old opener from Uxbridge will be keen to not lose his form before the tournament begins and a good few months of cricket will do him and his side a world of good. Talking to ICC about a couple of their main contenders, Hales said that no side can be under-estimated in a tournament like this.

Hales says that India and Pakistan will certainly give them a tough time in the World Cup. The Men in Blue have been on a roll in the last few months whilst the Men in Green defeated the Three Lions in the semifinals last year to eventually win the Champions Trophy. Hence, the Englishman reckons they cannot write these teams off.

“We cannot write off the likes of India and Pakistan, with the latter winning the Champions Trophy last year. Frankly, you cannot write off any team in the world who are coming to get us,” Ales Hales said.

Desperate England aim to not repeat their previous mistakes

England lost to Ireland and Bangladesh in the 2011 World Cup and a decisive defeat to Bangladesh in the 2015 World Cup saw their dream getting killed in the group stages. Henceforth, they will be taking every game quite seriously in the tournament and once their standard goes down, the others will be ready to pounce.

The World Cup this time around will have only 10 teams and each team will play 9 games, one game each against the other sides. This was the format previously used in the 1992 World Cup and although a lot experts have expressed their dissent, this format is highly likely to carry on for the next World Cup as well.

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