Alex Hales withdrawn from all England squads for international season
Hales banned for 21 days for recreational drug use last week
Tuesday 30 April 2019 08:49, UK
Alex Hales is understood to be devastated after he was withdrawn from all England squads for the international season, including the provisional World Cup squad.
Hales was included in England's 15-man preliminary World Cup squad but it emerged on Friday he had been sanctioned under the England and Wales Cricket Board's disciplinary policy for a second time.
He was banned from cricket for 21 days for recreational drug use, Sky Sports News understands.
An ECB statement said: "Alex Hales has been withdrawn from all England squads ahead of the international season."
Hales' latest misdemeanour comes just a few months after he was suspended and fined by the ECB for his part in the notorious street brawl in Bristol also involving Ben Stokes in September 2017.
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Ashley Giles, ECB managing director of England Men's cricket, said the decision was "in the best interests" of the side to ensure "there are no unnecessary distractions" heading into a "crucial period".
The Nottinghamshire batsman will not travel to Ireland for a one-off ODI on Friday in Malahide and has also been removed from England's squad for the Vitality IT20, the Royal London ODI series against Pakistan and the preliminary ICC Men's Cricket World Cup squad.
"We have thought long and hard about this decision," said Giles. "We have worked hard to create the right environment around the England team and need to consider what is in the best interests of the team, to ensure they are free from any distractions and able to focus on being successful on the pitch.
"I want to make it clear this is not the end of Alex's career as an England player. The ECB and the PCA will continue to aid Alex and work alongside his county club Nottinghamshire to give him the support he needs, to help him fulfil his potential as a professional cricketer."
