Alex Hales has been selected first overall by the Barbados Tridents in the CPL draft after missing out on the England squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
The opening batsman was withdrawn from the squad after a ‘failed drugs test’, which followed an announcement a month previously that he had “made himself unavailable for selection for personal reasons”, stepping away from both Nottinghamshire and England selection as the new season got underway.
Now though, Hales will look to rebuild his career in the Caribbean Premier League, which begins on September 4, and has revealed his delight at the opportunity.
Hales said on Instagram: “Cannot wait for this! Debut in the CPL, thank you Barbados Tridents for the opportunity!”
The Nottinghamshire star will have Jason Holder as his captain, with the Tridents looking to rebound after finishing bottom of the table last year.
Hales was accused by Eoin Morgan of having “a complete disregard” for the values of the England team.
“We have worked extremely hard over the last 18 months to establish our culture and work towards values that everyone across all three formats could adhere to, respect and relate to,” said Morgan.
“We have been at that stage for six or seven months. They are in place. There has been a complete disregard for those values.
“There has been a complete breakdown in trust between Alex and the team. Everybody in the senior players’ meeting agreed that the best decision for the team and the culture moving forward was for Alex to be deselected.
“We don’t make that final call. I communicated this to Ashley Giles and the decision was made. It’s important now that Alex uses the support around him to try to turn things around.”
While former England captain Michael Vaughan doubts whether Alex Hales will play international cricket again.
“I don’t know how he comes back from this,” Vaughan said on
“He has lost the opportunity of playing for his country in a World Cup on home soil and he’ll live with that forever.”
