England's Alex Hales takes break from cricket due to 'personal reasons'

Hales pulled out of Nottinghamshire's Royal London Cup game against Lancashire on Friday, with no timetable set for his return

Samuel Lovett
Saturday 20 April 2019 08:45 BST
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It’s currently unclear if this unexpected withdrawal will force the 30-year-old out of this summer’s World Cup
It’s currently unclear if this unexpected withdrawal will force the 30-year-old out of this summer’s World Cup

Alex Hales has taken an indefinite break from cricket due to “personal reasons”.

Hales pulled out of Nottinghamshire's Royal London Cup game against Lancashire on Friday, with no timetable set for his return.

It’s currently unclear if this unexpected withdrawal will force the 30-year-old out of this summer’s World Cup, which gets underway next month.

The batsman could still join the England squad in Cardiff next Saturday for a three-day training camp.

"Alex Hales has made himself unavailable for selection for personal reasons and no timetable has been set for his return to action," Nottinghamshire said in a statement on their website.

Alex Hales in action for England

This comes as the latest setback for Hales who was earlier this year banned for six white-ball games - four of them suspended - and fined £17,500 for his involvement alongside Ben Stokes in a street fight in Bristol.

Hales was this week named in England’s 15-man preliminary squad for the World Cup.

England will finalise their squad after the five-match Royal London ODI Series against Pakistan, which culminates at Emerald Headingley on Sunday 19 May.

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