LONDON: England batsman Alex Hales will not feature at the World Cup after being withdrawn from all international squads following an off-field incident not related to cricket, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Monday.

Hales was included in the 15-man preliminary World Cup squad for the tournament in England and Wales but it emerged last week that he had been sanctioned under the ECB’s disciplinary policy for a second time.

A report in The Guardian newspaper said the hard-hitting batsman was serving a ban from cricket for recreational drug use.

A spokesman for Hales last Friday confirmed the Nottinghamshire batsman had been suspended ‘following an off-field incident last year’.

An ECB statement on Monday said: “Alex Hales has been withdrawn from all England squads ahead of the international season. He has been withdrawn from the preliminary World Cup squad to avoid any ‘unnecessary distractions’ ahead of the showpiece tournament.”

Hales’ latest misdemeanour comes just a few months after he was suspended and fined by the ECB for his part in a street brawl in Bristol also involving Ben Stokes in September 2017.

The 30-year-old has been stood down from this Friday’s one-off one-day international against Ireland in Malahide, the upcoming limited-overs matches against Pakistan and the World Cup.

Ashley Giles, ECB managing director of England Men’s Cricket, said: “We have thought long and hard about this decision.

“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.”

As a result of his first suspension, Hales lost his place in England’s ODI side, with Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow the new opening partnership.

Hales, was set to be a back-up at the World Cup, which is being played in England and Wales starting May 30, has played 11 Tests, 70 One-day Internationals and 60 Twenty20 Internationals but is now regarded as a white-ball specialist.

Meanwhile, Hales’ management company, the 366 Group, said the player was ‘devastated’ after assurances from the ECB were apparently ‘rendered meaningless’.

It said in a statement: “We are hugely disappointed at the treatment of our client, Alex Hales, by the ECB. The ECB insisted on Alex taking certain rehabilitation measures following his suspension.

“In line with both the ECB and PCA (Professional Cricketers’ Association) guidelines, those measures must remain confidential. However, at every stage, Alex fulfilled his obligations and both he and his representatives were given assurances that any suspension, again under the ECB’s guidelines, could not affect his selection for the World Cup.”

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2019