An average of 27.28 after 11 tests, with just 5 half centuries, is far from justifying the true underlying potential of England’s talented opener Alex Hales. The aggressive right-hander has just been a revelation for his side in the shorter formats as his ruthlessness at the top has been integral behind England’s surge. In the recently concluded ODI series against Pakistan, Hales at Nottingham made 171, which is now the highest individual score for an English batsman.
However, from the test front, the story is a little different for the Nottinghamshire lad. In the tests against Pakistan, Hales struggled as he time and again threw away his starts and made a mess of all the hard work. It seemed that the opener was in no shape to apply himself in the middle. After a disappointing outing at home in the recent tests, Hales could well be dropped for England’s upcoming 5 test tour of India.
On Indian dustbowls, England will need an opener with a solid defense. Currently, Hales is far from having that. England coach Trevor Bayliss recently admitted that new names were in the fray to partner skipper Alastair Cook at the top. “Possibly. There have been some young players making some runs, who are coming into calculations – which is very exciting, said Bayliss. “That’s obviously one of the talking points around the selection table.”
All-rounder Liam Dawson, who is rated very highly in the English domestic scene, could be in for a maiden test call up, as his slow left arm could be productive on the assisting Indian decks. To add to that, his batting will be a complete bonus.
“He will certainly be in discussions,” Bayliss said about Dawson. “He’s a guy who’s got something about him. “He bats, bowls and he’s a pretty good fielder as well. But it’s his game sense that stands out – he knows how to play the game, almost knows what’s going to happen before it happens.”
