LONDON: England captain Alastair Cook has confirmed Alex Hales will make his one-day debut and open the batting for England in the upcoming five-match series against India.
Hales, 25, is a regular in the England Twenty20 side but now has the chance to stake his claim for a place in England’s squad for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in February.
“Alex Hales will open the batting with me,” Cook told a news conference yesterday ahead of today’s opening game in Bristol.
Cook believes the explosive, in-form Nottinghamshire opener will bring something different to the England batting line-up.
“What’s been pleasing about Alex over the last month is he has scored four hundreds for Nottinghamshire, and at a good rate,” he said. “He’s a different batter to the other guys. He hits the ball incredibly hard and he hits it in different areas which is what seems to work really well for him.”
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni thinks his bold approach and versatility will benefit England.
“The last few times he’s played Twenty20, he’s shown he’s definitely a fantastic batsman,” Dhoni said. “He’s a tall guy with excellent reach and he also plays the spinners well.”
REUTERS
