Chris Tremlett: Alex Hales only has himself to blame – England were right to drop him over drugs breach
I don’t have a lot of sympathy for Alex Hales.
The batsman was this week dropped from England’s World Cup squad after failing a recreational drugs test and I think director of cricket Ashley Giles has made the right decision.
It’s not the first time he’s been in the spotlight for his actions away from the cricket field, having failed a drugs test previously and been involved in an incident outside a Bristol night club with team-mate Ben Stokes, so I believe he’s had enough warnings.
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As a professional sportsman there are some things you just don’t do and drugs are certainly one of them.
He’s set a bad example, disrespected the England team culture and sparked an unnecessary distraction on the eve of a home World Cup.
I believe he got off lightly for his involvement in the Stokes incident in 2017 but he clearly hasn’t learned his lesson.
Hales was initially suspended for 21 days and his county, Nottinghamshire, tried to keep the reason why he wasn’t playing under wraps. The Professional Cricketers’ Association offer counselling and rehabilitation for players, so he could have undergone that and come back without the public knowing.
Hales was in-line to be England's back-up batsman (Source: Getty)
But being a high-profile player in the run-up to a major tournament there is bound to be more scrutiny on your behaviour. Rumours fly around the county circuit and once the news had been broken England were left with little option but to drop him.
Perhaps the England and Wales Cricket Board could have handled they way they did it better, but ultimately Hales is in the wrong and deserves to be punished.
I just hope England can nip it in the bud now, draw a line underneath it and set a strong precedent to show other players the consequences of their actions.
Squad depth
Until this week England’s preparation for the World Cup had been going perfectly, with confidence high and wins coming.
But the storm around Hales has been followed with the first injuries in some time, with Sam Billings ruled out through a shoulder problem and Jason Roy suffering back spasms.
Unlike the Hales incident, injuries are a part of the game and having spent the past four years building momentum England’s build-up shouldn’t be derailed.
They remain focused on the task at hand and are blessed with a group of around 20 players who offer depth to the squad.
Vince’s opportunity
Hales hasn’t been a shoe-in for England in one-day cricket for some time, with Roy and Jonny Bairstow forming a brilliant opening partnership, but he had performed well when called upon and was first reserve in the batting department.
Thankfully in James Vince England have a like-for-like replacement. Like Hales, Vince is a tall right-hander who hits the ball well through the offside and is more suited to white-ball cricket.
James Vince scored a career-best 190 against Gloucestershire last week (Source: Getty)
He’s a seasoned campaigner with Hampshire and has found form at the perfect time, having hit 430 runs at an average of 71.67 in six One-Day Cup innings this season.
Vince’s career-best 190 against Gloucester last week showed just how good he is, and having played Test cricket and around the world for various franchises I don’t think he’d be daunted by the pressure of a World Cup.
If he performs against Ireland and Pakistan over the next few weeks I think he’ll come into the squad and could slot anywhere into the top three.
England’s squad environment appears to be solid and they’ve dealt with setbacks before. With the World Cup on the horizon I think they should treat the loss of Hales like a simple injury and continue to move forward.