Sydney Thunder batsman Alex Hales targets return to England’s white-ball sides after drug ban
Alex Hales is determined not to be defined by his bad boy reputation, aiming to use his stint in the BBL with Sydney Thunder as a springboard to return to England’s white-ball teams.
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Redemption.
Steve Smith, David Warner and Ben Stokes have all found it, and now controversial England batsman Alex Hales has landed in Sydney determined to get rid of his own bad boy reputation.
Hales returns to the BBL after a chequered couple of years, including his part with Stokes in a late-night street brawl outside a Bristol nightclub, and most recently his devastating sacking from England’s World Cup winning squad over a second positive test for recreational drugs.
The 30-year-old does not shy away from his past and concedes he has regrets, but he has outlined a clear determination to stay out of trouble and prove he is not the person other people have judged him as.
Hales’ combination with Usman Khawaja at the top of the order has the potential to regenerate the Thunder as a title contender.
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But his driving motivation for being here – and baring his soul – is to get back into England’s white-ball teams and show he is much more than the sum of his mistakes.
“Of course you do, have regrets. There’s been a couple of things that if I could go back in time I would change. But at the end of the day there’s nothing I can do about it now,” Hales told The Sunday Telegraph.
“That’s not a reputation you want at all. All I can do is play cricket with a smile on my face, enjoy my time here in Sydney, do my best to perform on the field and do whatever I can to get rid of that image because that’s not something you want as a cricketer.
“I don’t think it’s true as well. Occasionally the media doesn’t paint you in a particularly great light, but those instances were a while ago now so I want to just enjoy my cricket and hopefully get rid of that.”
Hales said he can take solace in the way good friend Stokes as well as Australian stars Smith and Warner have been welcomed back into the cricket fraternity this year – comforted in the knowledge that there are second chances.
“I think so. At the end of the day, everyone makes mistakes in life,” said Hales.
“No one has ever lived who hasn’t made a mistake so I do believe in second chances. I guess the ball is in my court now just to keep my nose clean and enjoy my cricket and that’s certainly what I want to do.”
As happy and proud as Hales must have been of his England teammates for clinching their famous World Cup triumph on home soil, there was also the personal heartbreak of knowing he would have been there with them.
Hales doesn’t want his axing for disciplinary reasons to be his final act in an England shirt, and he arrives at the Thunder as arguably the most motivated man in the Big Bash.
“Yeah of course it is. I’ve got to try and not think too much about the end result. I’m desperate to perform well for the Thunder and hopefully try and get myself back in the frame,” said Hales.
“There’s a T20 World Cup in Australia in October next year and I’d love to do as much as I can to put myself in the frame for that.
“That’s going to come from ultimately performing well in these tournaments and that’s why playing for the Thunder is going to be a great opportunity for me to score runs in Australia.
“My previous stints in the Big Bash have come when I’ve been in my mid 20s and in the past I’ve not done as well as I’d have liked in this part of the world.
“I’ve certainly matured. I’m 30 years old now and in my prime. I know my game like the back of my hand.
“Usman is a wonderful player. If we do open the batting it would be a nice right-hand/left-hand combo, which will hopefully give opposition bowlers a headache.”
