Alex Hales announces retirement from international cricket

Hales last played for England in the T20 World Cup final last November, having been recalled to the side for the competition after a three-year absence. He was a huge part of England’s winning campaign, and scored an unbeaten 86 against India in the semifinal in a blistering partnership with Jos Buttler.

It’s the end of an 11-year international career which spanned all formats. Hales made his international debut in 2011 in a T20I against India. His ODI debut came three years later, also against India, and he also played 11 Test matches between 2015 and 2016.

Hales finishes his career with 156 appearances for England and seven international centuries, six of them in the ODI format. He played his last ODI in 2019 and was a massive part of England’s white ball revolution. He was dropped from their ODI squad weeks before the start of their famous 2019 World Cup campaign after he failed a drugs Test.

Hales is ranked third on the T20I run scoring charts for England, with 2,074 runs and an average of 30.95. He voluntarily missed England’s white ball tour of Bangladesh in March earlier this year to play in the Pakistan Super League instead.

In a statement on his decision, Hales said: “It’s been a privilege to pull on the England shirt as many times as I have, across all formats.

“So now to be able to reflect on that journey, the career I’ve had on the international stage and the moments I have been fortunate enough to be a part of, is really satisfying.

“There are so many memories that I have made both on and off the pitch, but I look back particularly to those two One Day International World Record scores at Trent Bridge, and being able to reach three figures in both of those games on my home ground was really special.

“And, clearly, to come away from my last tournament with England as a T20 World Cup winner is the perfect finish.”