Alex Hales

Not to be confused with Alexander of Hales.
Alex Hales
Personal information
Full name Alexander Daniel Hales
Born (1989-01-03) 3 January 1989
Hillingdon, London, England
Height 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Batting style Right-handed
Bowling style Right-arm medium
Role Batsman, occasional Wicketkeeper
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 669) 26 December 2015 v South Africa
Last Test 26 January 2016 v South Africa
ODI debut (cap 237) 27 August 2014 v India
Last ODI 14 February 2016 v South Africa
ODI shirt no. 2 (was 35)
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
2008–present Nottinghamshire (squad no. 10)
2013 Melbourne Renegades
2013–2014 Adelaide Strikers
2014–2015 Hobart Hurricanes
2015 Mumbai Indians
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA
Matches 4 29 91 120
Runs scored 136 962 5,682 4,201
Batting average 17.00 34.35 37.62 36.53
100s/50s 0/1 2/6 12/32 11/22
Top score 60 112 236 150*
Balls bowled 18 – 293 4
Wickets 0 – 3 0
Bowling average – – 57.00 –
5 wickets in innings – – 0 –
10 wickets in match – n/a 0 n/a
Best bowling – – 2/63 –
Catches/stumpings 1/– 6/– 76/– 38/–
Source: CricketArchive, 4 May 2016

Alexander Daniel "Alex" Hales (born 3 January 1989) is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed opening batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler who currently plays for Nottinghamshire, while also a regular in the England Twenty20 International side. He made his One Day International debut against India in August 2014 and his Test debut against South Africa in December 2015. Hales is the first and up to date only English batsman to score a T20I century. He is also the first batsman to be dismissed for 99 in an ODI and a T20I.[1]

Background

Hales was born in Hillingdon and attended both Westbrook Hay School and Chesham High School (now Chesham Grammar School) in Buckinghamshire. On the 4th May 2016 he met his girlfriend Christel Bulmer in Crisis, Nottingham. They have been together ever since and going strong.

His father Gary broke several local batting records (including 321 not out for Gerrards Cross versus Chalfont St Peter in a limited overs league match) while his grandfather Dennis was a talented tennis player who once forced Rod Laver to five sets at Wimbledon.[2] His mother is Lisa Hales.

County Cricket

Hales first came to national attention in 2005 when, as a sixteen-year-old, he hit 55 off a single over (three no-balls, eight sixes, one four) in a Cricket Idol T20 tournament at Lords. [3] Ironically, he had been picked for his fast bowling ability.

Hales first represented Buckinghamshire in Minor Counties cricket during the 2006 season, and played for MCC Young Cricketers in the Second XI Championship of 2007. He then impressed whilst trialling with Nottinghamshire in 2007, scoring 218 in only his second appearance for the county, following it up with a hundred and two 95s. Notts offered him a two-year contract until the end of the 2009 season. He made his List A debut in a rain-affected match against Leicestershire in May 2008 and his first class debut against Somerset in September 2008. During the 2009 season, after an impressive start, he signed a new two-year contract extension.[4] On 29 August 2009, Alex hit the top score in the Pro40 2009, 150 off of 102 balls for Nottinghamshire against Worcestershire at Trent Bridge.[5]

In July 2011, Hales made a century for Nottinghamshire in the county championship, a score that, according to Cricinfo marked him as "beginning to warrant the attention of the England selectors": it was the second century of his first-class career.[6] He went on to make 184.[7]

In April 2012 he told Nottingham-based entertainments magazine LeftLion: "I’m one of the worst league batsmen in the country. I’ve got an appalling record. I don’t know why that is, but I recommend that any clubs in Nottingham don’t get in touch with me." [8]

In May, 2015, Hales hit six sixes across two overs on the opening day of the NatWest t20 Blast in his 86 not out against Birmingham.[9]

England

Hales represented England U19s in the summer of 2008 in a series of youth Test matches and ODIs against a touring New Zealand U19's, enjoying a successful time averaging 50 in the Tests and over 30 in the ODIs, including 3 half centuries. After just one season on the county circuit he was named in an England Performance Programme squad in the 09/10 winter. In the 2011 summer he was selected for the England Lions against Sri Lanka and was chosen for all the matches.

2011-2012 India, West Indies and World T20

Following an impressive year in domestic Twenty20, he was selected for the senior England squad to play India. He scored a two-ball duck on debut, however in the following series against the West Indies, he scored an unbeaten 62 in a 128-run stand with Craig Kieswetter as England won by 10 wickets. Hales kept his place in the side for the T20 match against India, but only scored 11 runs of 19 balls.

On 24 June 2012, England achieved their highest successful chase in Twenty20 internationals. Hales was man of the match, after scoring 99 before losing his wicket to a yorker bowled by Rampaul with the game almost won. Hales played in both games against South Africa, making scores of 11 in both innings, although he remained unbeaten in the second as the match was rained off.

Now an integral part of England's T20 team, Hales played in the 2012 ICC World Twenty20. England beat Afghanistan to qualify from the group, with Hales being run out on 31. However,a England were bowled out for 80 in the next game against India. In the super 8 stage, Hales again batted well against the West Indies, scoring 68. After beating New Zealand, England lost to Sri Lanka, with Hales being dismissed for just 3, meaning England were knocked out of the tournament.

2013-2014 New Zealand, Australia and T20 World Cup

Hales played in all three T20 games against New Zealand, now batting with his county team mate Michael Lumb. He made scores of 21, 5 and 80. In the third match of the series, in which Hales made 80, he participated in a 143 opening partnership with Lumb as England won by 10 wickets. In the return series Hales made 39 before the final match was abandoned. Hales made 94 in the second match against Australia, as he consolidated his position at to of the ICC player rankings. Hales was less effective in the away series in Australia, scoring 22, 16 and 6. He was then selected in the limited overs tour of West Indies, where he was also expected to play in his first ODI. However, injury meant he could only play in the T20 series, where he made scores of 3, 40 and 38.

England were drawn in a tough group for the 2014 World T20. Hales made a second ball duck in the first match against New Zealand, but followed this up by an unbeaten 116 against Sri Lanka.[10] In doing so he became the first Englishman to score a T20I century. However, although Hales made 38 against South Africa, England lost and were knocked out of the competition. They then suffered a humiliating defeat against the Netherlands in their final match, in which hales made 12 as England were bowled out for 88.

2014 Sri Lanka and India

Hales kept his place in the team for Peter Moores first game in charge of the T20 side against Sr Lanka. Although England lost, Hales top scored with 66.

Hales made his long awaited ODI debut in the series against India. He started well, making scores of 42 and 40 in his first two games although England went on to lose them both. In the final two games of the series, he could only manage scores of 6 and 4 as England lost the series 3-1. He returned to form in the only T20 match between the two sides, hitting 40 to help England win the game.

He was selected in the squad for the series against Sri Lanka, but was surprisingly dropped for the first two games. He made 27 when he was recalled for the third ODI, batting in the middle order. In the fourth ODI he replaced suspended captain Alistair Cook at the top of the order, but was dismissed for a first ball duck. He made seven in the final match of the series.

2015 World Cup

Hales was overlooked for the start of England's World Cup campaign and did not play until the must-win game against Bangladesh. He made 27 as England lost the game to go out of the tournament. He played in the final game against Afghanistan, making 37 as England won the match by nine wickets.

2015 New Zealand

Hales was included in the squad for the five-ODI series at home against New Zealand. He scored 20 in the first match, but England went on to win by 210 runs. In the second ODI Hales performed more strongly, scoring 54 off 49 balls, but England lost by 13 runs in a close match. England lost the third ODI by 3 wickets, with Hales making 23. In the fourth ODI Hales scored 67 off 38 balls as England won by seven wickets. In the final game of the series, Hales was out for just one, but England went on to win the game by three wickets and the series 3-2. He made 27 as England won the one off T20 match between the two sides.

2016 South Africa

In the one-day series again Pakistan in the UAE, BBC Sport commentator Jonathan Agnew stated that Hales' technique was simply too fallible outside off stump, planting his front foot on middle stump and playing with a bat two feet away from his body. Agnew surmised that whilst in 20 and 50 over cricket with no slips Hales could get away with this issue, in test cricket he could not. In the first three tests in South Africa, Hales' technique was cruelly exposed by their fast-bowling attack.[11] With a top score of 60 throughout the entire series, this was made evident.

However, in the ODI series, it was like watching a different batsman. He scored 4 consecutive fifties and a century to garner Man of the Series. In the first ODI, Hales scored 57 off just 47 balls to put behind the poor Test series. He then went on to score 99 in the second ODI falling just short of his second ODI century. He continued this great form in the third ODI scoring 65 off 73 balls in a losing effort. In the fourth ODI, he scored yet another half-century scoring 50 off 56 balls in another losing effort. In the final ODI, he finally scored his second and well-deserved ODI century, scoring 112 off 128 balls finishing the series with 383 runs overall and the series highest run-scorer.

International centuries

One Day International centuries

Alex Hales' One Day International centuries
# Runs Match Against City/Country Venue Year Result
1 109 22  Pakistan United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Sheikh Zayed Stadium 2015 Won
2 112 29  South Africa South Africa Cape Town, South Africa Newlands Cricket Ground 2016 Lost

Twenty20 International centuries

Alex Hales' Twenty20 International centuries
# Runs Match Against City/Country Venue Year Result
1 116* 29  Sri Lanka Bangladesh Chittagong, Bangladesh Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium 2014 Won

* define batsman is not out

International awards

One-Day International cricket

Man of the Match awards

S No Opponent Venue Date Match Performance Result
1 Pakistan Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi 13 November 2015 109 (117 balls, 7x4, 3x6)  England won by 95 runs.[12]
2 South Africa St George's Park, Port Elizabeth 6 February 2016 99 (124 balls, 8x4)  England won by 5 wickets.[13]

Player of the series awards

S No Series Season Match Performance Result
1 England in South Africa 2015/16 383 runs (1x100, 4x50); (5 Matches)  South Africa Won the series 3-2.[14]

Twenty20 International cricket

Man of the Match Awards

# Series Date Against Match Performance Result
1 West Indies in England 24 June 2012 West Indies 99 (68 balls, 6x4, 4x6)  England won by 7 wickets.[15]
2 Australia in England 31 August 2013 Australia 94 (61 balls, 11x4, 2x6) ; 1 ct.  England won by 27 runs.[16]
3 2014 ICC World Twenty20 27 March 2014 Sri Lanka 1 ct. ; 116* (64 balls, 11x4, 6x6)  England won by 6 wickets.[17]

References

External links

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