POBNEWS24, Dhaka, Nov 10, 2022 : Alex Hales was smelling a century then. But England’s run-chase in the semi-final against India fell so short that there was doubt whether a century would be scored or not.
But there was no doubt about one thing. The man who became disabled in English cricket, there were doubts about whether he would ever be able to play in the England team again, it was Hales who took England to the T20 World Cup final. Cricket is really fun game!
Of all the players and spectators in today’s semi-final match in Adelaide, Hales surely enjoyed the fun the most. A 10-wicket win with 24 balls to spare in chasing 168 runs against India’s superb bowling — Hales’ single-handed contribution to an unbeaten 86 off 47 balls. With 7 sixes and 4 fours in the innings, Hales definitely gave the Indian bowlers ‘hell’. As Mohammed Shami-Bhuvneshwar Kumar burned through it, so did Hales.
A little mistake. Rather than enjoying it, it is better to say that you are enjoying the return period. Hales, who made his debut in international cricket in 2011, was sure to become something big, five years later in that innings of 171 off 122 balls against Pakistan at Trent Bridge in 2016. But time does not go the same way for people.
He was dropped from the England team just before the 2019 World Cup for the crime of taking recreational drugs. The grief consumed Hales so much that even after England’s ODI World Cup victory, Hales said, ‘There is nothing more painful. Yes, it feels good that they won the World Cup. But inside, I wanted to die of sadness thinking that I could also be a part of this festival of the party.’
But Hales should not have made the mistake of taking recreational drugs before that World Cup. He learned not to make such a mistake in 2017. Had been involved in a brawl outside a pub in Bristol, accompanied by Hales’ friend Ben Stokes at the time.
Hales was banned and fined for that. He could learn from there. But as geniuses tend to be—as they are today, killing almost all of the good length balls that come into bat—a little indecisive, trusting in one’s own abilities has no discretion, and Hales, it seems, made the error a second time out of that overconfidence.
Eoin Morgan did not forgive him. Morgan kept Hales out of England’s white-ball squad throughout his tenure as captain. But by last year, Morgan’s heart had softened towards Hales. And Hales himself started giving away the lost dream by scoring run after run in the franchise T20. By 2022, he scored 4827 runs at a strike rate of 150. English cricket pundits began to realize that he was needed in the T20 World Cup. In the meantime, the England team’s managing director called Rob Key to ask Hales to know why he is not in the team.
What forehead! Hales opened the door to the national team at the very last moment before the start of the T20 World Cup due to Jonny Bairstow’s injury. Of course, before that, he wanted to ask all the players of the England team on the phone, whether Hales can be included in the team or not? It would be wrong to say that someone opened that door for him, Hells himself broke those chains with his bat performance. And the return is great!
After the innings of 52 runs against New Zealand and 47 runs against Sri Lanka in the Super Twelve, the innings played by Hales against India today definitely confirmed his place in the team. Listening to the words of Hales with the man of the match award can be touching, ‘I never thought I would be able to play in the World Cup again. The feeling of having a chance is great. I love playing here (in Australia).’
Hells are also loved by one or two. As former England cricketer and commentator David Lloyd tweeted, ‘Alex Hales…revealing…is proof that bad situations can be overcome if you stick with it.’
Not only the cricketers but also common people can learn by watching Hells!
