T20 World Cup 2024

‘Argued why he wasn’t there and I think that’s quite right’- Rob Key reveals his chat with Alex Hales after opener’s omission from England’s World Cup squad

Alex Hales has been excluded from England’s 15-member squad for the upcoming 20-20 World Cup and looks like he hasn’t taken it well. Rob Key has shared an instance from the aftermath of Hales’s omission where Hales demanded Key an explanation for his omission.

Key, who works as the managing director of the England Men’s cricket team, has revealed that Hales, who was in contention for a recall, wasn’t happy with the team selectors’ decision. The opener contacted Key and demanded an explanation for being overlooked. Key also revealed that although Hales is not a part of the 15-member squad, he could still be called up in case of an injury.

“I spoke to Alex Hales, he rang me actually, and he argued why he wasn’t there and I think that’s quite right too. I much prefer when these people pick up the phone and say, ‘come on then, why wasn’t I there?’ I have a huge amount of respect for that as opposed to people who go behind the scenes moaning about why they’ve not been picked,” Key said in a statement.

I feel Alex Hales has served his time for his misdemeanours: Rob Key

Talking further about Alex Hales’s omission the former English cricketer felt regretful of the 33-year-old’s continued omission from the national side.

“It’s just an unfortunate time where there is a hell of a lot of very good players. People say it’s a good problem to have but it’s not straightforward with who you pick as a batter in this format of white-ball cricket because there are so many good options. There’s a lot of people who have also missed out who quite rightly could have said ‘how come I’m not in?’”, said Rob Key.

The managing director of the England men’s cricket team was also slightly in favour of Alex Hales’s comeback to the team and said, “I’ve said on a number of occasions that I feel Alex Hales has served his time for his misdemeanours. Now it’s on form, selection, and whether we feel they are the best person to go out there. At the moment we feel Jonny Bairstow is that person.”

Notably, Alex Hales has been involved in many controversial incidents outside of cricket and the England selectors have tried to steer clear of the 33-year-old batter.