On Friday, England’s cricketer Alex Hales declared his retirement from international Cricket, effective immediately. Hales, a dynamic top-order batsman, had represented England in a total of 156 matches across the three international formats: Test matches, one-day internationals, and T20 internationals.
His most recent international appearance occurred during England’s triumph in the T20 World Cup final against Pakistan in November 2022.
Throughout his career, the 34-year-old specialized in white-ball cricket, amassing 2,419 runs in 67 ODI innings at an average of approximately 38, and 2,074 runs in 75 T20 internationals with a mean just under 31.
Dramatic Journey of Alex Hales for Team England
However, Hales’ journey in the England team faced disruptions due to incidents off the field. In 2017, he was fined and suspended as a consequence of an altercation outside a Bristol nightclub, which also involved Ben Stokes.
Additionally, Hales encountered another ban in 2019 after testing positive for a recreational drug, a suspension that led to his exclusion from England’s triumphant squad in the 50-over World Cup held that year.
Hales made an exclusive statement post retirement “It has been an absolute privilege to have represented my country on 156 occasions across all three formats,” Hales said in an Instagram post.
“I’ve made some memories and some friendships to last a lifetime and I feel that now is the right time to move on.”
The aggressive batsman, who primarily bats on the right side, briefly occupied the top position in T20I rankings and is additionally the initial batter to depart at a score of 99 in both One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and T20 Internationals (T20Is).
Hales intends to maintain his participation in matches for his domestic team, Nottinghamshire, as well as in franchise tournaments on an international scale.
Twitter Reactions after Hales Retirement
Alex Hales from England has retired from all form of international cricket pic.twitter.com/3vzNvQJ0hr
— Himanshu Ladha (@HimanshuLadha8) August 4, 2023
𝙃𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙍𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙃𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙢 🌪️
— Cricopia.com (@cric_opia) August 4, 2023
📸: England Cricket #AlexHales #EnglandCricket #Cricket #cricketnews #T20WorldCup #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/r6e0jPiLVm
Alex Hales announces international retirement. It was a tough career with a lot of ups and downs but he still had a brilliant career.
— Abdullah Zafar (@Arain_417) August 4, 2023
Best of luck for the future🤝#AlexHales #EnglandCricket pic.twitter.com/oZZldKJbHE
the last thing Alex Hales lifted as an international cricketer pic.twitter.com/gKxH2mb5mI
— squius (@daviddwarnerr31) August 4, 2023
Too early man too early 💔 alex hales has just taken retirement from international cricket pic.twitter.com/VyOdAPBYCW
— 🔫 (@daani__official) August 4, 2023
This despite not playing so many games in his peak, what a player Alex Hales. https://t.co/uJrrPiEoFU
— Rajdeep Singh (@travisheadera) August 4, 2023
Alex Hales’ decision to retire from international cricket marks the end of a chapter in English cricket. His legacy will be one of explosive batting, audacious strokes, and a relentless pursuit of success.
While his path was marked by challenges, his contributions to the sport, both on and off the field, leave an indelible mark.
As he embarks on a new phase of his cricketing journey, Hales can look back with pride at the moments he provided to fans worldwide and the impact he had on the game.
