• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

England's star batter Alex Hales has announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect, at the age of 34. He finished his career being a T20 World Cup winner with England, having played last for his national team in their five-wicket win over Pakistan at the MCG in November last year.

Hales was one of the few players rumored to have been thinking about choosing the franchise cricket over the national team's bilateral commitments. Now with the decision to bow out of the international game, he has confirmed that he will continue to be available for short-form leagues around the world.

 
 
 
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Alex Hales (@alexhales1)

 

ALSO READ: Gukesh D Overtakes Viswanathan Anand To Become India's Top-Ranked Chess Player

 

"It has been an absolute privilege to have represented my country on 156 occasions across all three formats," Hales said in a statement. "I've made some memories and some friendships to last a lifetime and I feel that now is the right time to move on.

"Throughout my time in an England shirt I've experienced some of the highest highs as well as some of the lowest lows. It's been an incredible journey and I feel very content that my last game for England was winning a World Cup final."

Having last played 50-over cricket four years ago, Hales was never in serious contention for this year's World Cup in India but would have been a contender for England's T20 title defense in the Caribbean and the United States next year. Instead, his retirement will open up opportunities for players like Will Jacks and Phil Salt.

Hales was a significant part of England's progress as a powerhouse in the white-ball formats, forming a destructive opening partnership with Jason Roy as Morgan and Trevor Bayliss launched their white-ball revolution in 2015.

Hales also played 11 Tests between 2015 and 2016 as one of England's many attempts to find a regular opening partner for Alastair Cook.

"Throughout the ups and downs I've always felt a huge amount of support from my friends, family, and undoubtedly the best fans in world cricket," Hales added in his statement. "I look forward to continuing to play for Notts and experiencing more franchise cricket around the world."

 

ALSO READ: India, West Indies Fined For Maintaining Slow Over-rate In 1st T20I

 

Hales finishes his England career with 2419 ODI runs at an average of 37.79, including six centuries, and is one of three men to score more than 2000 T20I runs for England. His only hundred came against Sri Lanka in the 2014 World T20.