“Guess we will see Alex Hales again” - Michael Vaughan reacts after COVID-19 hits England camp

Former England captain Michael Vaughan feels that Alex Hales could make a comeback for the England team with the original squad chosen for the ODIs against Pakistan being forced into isolation.

A new England team led by Ben Stokes will take on Pakistan in the upcoming ODIs series after three players and four backroom staff from the initial team tested positive for COVID-19.

Reacting to the development in the England team, Vaughan said that these are strange times. He tweeted:

“Billy Gilmour tests positive & not one Scotland team member or staff has to isolate … England cricket team members do & the whole squad has to go !?????? VERY VERY Strange times … I guess we will or should see Alex Hales again though.”

Hales last represented England in March 2019. He was dropped from the 2019 World Cup squad after being banned for testing positive for recreational drugs. Back then, England’s limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan described the incident as a breach of trust and the batsman hasn’t played for England since despite impressive domestic performances.

Billy Gilmour tests positive & not one Scotland team member or staff has to isolate … England cricket team members do & the whole squad has to go !?????? VERY VERY Strange times … I guess we will or should see Alex Hales again though … #OnOn

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) July 6, 2021

It will cause chaos: Nasser Hussain reacts as England squad goes into isolation

Another former England captain, Nasser Hussain, has admitted that the latest developments forced by COVID-19 in the England camp will lead to utter chaos. While praising the manner in which the ECB has handled the COVID-19 crisis so far, Hussain told Sky Sports:

"It shows how well England and the ECB have done over the last 15 months during Covid times to keep it out of the bubble, whether it was the completely tight bubble, something that has been eased slightly and I think they had to ease that bubble slightly.”

"It's now got in the camp and now they will have to react. It will cause chaos because obviously they have to pick a completely different squad, that's 16 players and then backroom staff and coaches ruled out. They will have to pull the bulk of those players out of county cricket, there is a round of County Championship games going on now and all those counties will have to replace those players and get them tested,” Hussain added.

Reacting to the developments, Tom Harrison, chief executive at the ECB, claimed that they were prepared for this ‘moment'. Harrison asserted:

"We made a strategic choice to try to adapt protocols, in order to support the overall wellbeing of our players and management staff who have spent much of the 14 months living in very restricted conditions.”

⚠ BREAKING NEWS ⚠❌ Entire England squad forced to isolate and miss ODI series against Pakistan after three players and four management team members test positive for Covid-19.© Ben Stokes returns to captain a newly selected XI in Thursday's first #ENGvPAK ODI.

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 6, 2021

The first ODI between England and Pakistan will be played in Cardiff on Thursday, July 8.