T20 WC 2022: Alex Hales named as replacement for Jonny Bairstow in England's squad

Alex Hales (PC: Twitter)

The swashbuckling batter Alex Hales has earned a recall to the England squad after a hiatus of three years. 

Hales will replace Jonny Bairstow, who sustained a lower limb injury while playing Golf last week. 

The 33-year-old last featured for the Three Lions in a T20I fixture against West Indies in March 2019. He was dropped from the squad due to a positive drug Test, which broke the trust of captain Eoin Morgan. 

However, with the struggling Jason Roy and injury blow to Bairstow, Hales has received a second life to his international career. 

Since his international ouster, the Nottinghamshire batter has pelted runs in a consistent manner. In the 2022 edition of the Men's Hundred, Hales slammed 259 runs in nine innings. The T20 Blast 2022 witnessed him scoring 374 runs in 14 innings. 

With this development, Hales will be a part of England's squad for the seven-match T20I series against Pakistan and T20 WC. 

Alex Hales pip Will Jacks for T20 WC spot

Will Jacks slammed 449 runs in T20 Blast 2022, and followed it up with 261 runs in the Hundred to find a place in the England squad for Pakistan series. 

However, with a prolonged consistency and experience,  Hales has found his way to be named in the touring party for the showpiece event as well. 

England Squad for T20 WC 2022

Squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

Travel Reserve: Tymal Mills, Liam Dawson, and Richard Gleeson

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