"Nothing at all" - Alex Hales still on England fringes despite finding form in the BBL

Alex Hales is not expecting an England call-up anytime soon despite hitting form for the Sydney Thunder in the 2020/21 BBL. The opener has been in fine form in the BBL and scored an impressive hundred against the Sydney Sixers on Friday. The knock saw Alex Hales become the tournament's leading run-scorer this season, but his England prospects remain unchanged.

Asked after the game if he had heard back from the England management since his dropping, Alex Hales said:

"No, nothing at all - nothing from that end. At the moment, I'm just enjoying my cricket and I'm going to keep trying to score as many runs as I can, enjoying myself, and see what happens. Obviously that's the peak of cricket, playing for your country. At the moment, I'm just going to focus on the process of scoring runs and enjoying my cricket, and if that's the end result then brilliant."

Alex Hales was a regular in the England limited-overs team but was dropped 2019 after returning a positive test for using recreational drugs. No player in the world has scored more T20 runs that Alex Hales since his dropping, but the chances of him wearing the England shirt anytime soon are very slim.

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Michael Vaughan calls for Alex Hales and England to resolve their issues

Alex Hales last played for England in 2019

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has said Alex Hales and the national team management must resolve their issues so the opener can be considered for selection.

"I'd like to see him get another opportunity. He's too good a player. He gets hundreds in Twenty20 cricket, not many people can do that."

"I just think he gets in England's best six or seven batsmen and for that reason I believe time is a great healer. I just hope they can manage it correctly - get in a room and whatever the issues are, whether it's the selectors, Eoin Morgan, the management, who knows, but he's certainly playing well enough to be considered and be considered quite strictly."

Alex Hales will now put up his name in next month's IPL auction. And good performances in the tournament may just be the final push he needs to convince England to recall him ahead of the T20I World Cup which will be held in India later this year.