Eoin Morgan has accused Alex Hales of displaying a “complete disregard” for the team’s values and that there was a “breakdown in trust” between the batsman and his England colleagues.
The England ODI captain has also revealed that he called a meeting between senior England players to debate the best way forward for the team, with the Cricket World Cup commencing later this month.
Hales is due to feature for Nottinghamshire against Duham on Friday after serving his 21-day match ban after an “off the field incident”. He was reportedly suspended for recreational drug use.
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Alex Hales was de-selected from England’s provisional World Cup squad[/caption]
“I found out on Friday when the news broke, took a bit of time to think about the impact it would have on the team – in particular the culture – and decided to meet up with a group of senior players to discuss the impact it would have,” Morgan told Test Match Special.
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“We’ve worked very hard over the last 18 months to establish our culture and work towards values that every team across all formats can adhere to, respect and relate to. We’ve been at that stage for six or seven months now. They are in place.
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“This news broke, and there’s been a complete disregard for these values and a breakdown in trust between Alex and the team.
“Everybody in the senior players’ meeting agreed the best decision for the team and culture was for Alex to be de-selected. We don’t make the final call; I communicated this to Ashley Giles and the decision was made.
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James Vince (R) is the most likely candidate to replace Alex Hales in England’s World Cup squad[/caption]
Morgan has left the door open for Hales to make an international return but it’s likely to be some time before trust between the various parties can be fully restored.
“It’s very important that Alex uses the support that’s around him from the ECB and PCA to turn things around,” he added.
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Tournament hosts England will launch the 2019 World Cup against South Africa on May 30. England are set to play an ODI against Ireland at Mahalide on Friday, when Jofra Archer is expected to make his international debut.
