Alex Hales' overseas Twenty20 contracts at risk after street fight
Alex Hales is not part of England’s Ashes squad but he will be worried his Twenty20 contract this winter could be put at risk by his involvement in the street fight that has led to him being called in for questioning by police.
Hales was left out of the Ashes squad when it was announced on Wednesday, and has not played Test cricket since last year, but he is in demand from Twenty20 franchises around the world and has signed a contract with the Stellenbosch Kings.
The statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board on Thursday only said Hales would not be considered for selection by England. A player’s participation in an overseas tournament is dependent on receiving a non-objection certificate from their home board.
The ECB could withhold this, although it would be a grey area legally and there are no precedents for such a move.
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Any potential criminal investigation could also prevent Hales from travelling abroad. He was told he will have to attend a Bristol police station to be questioned under caution. He missed England training on Tuesday to travel to Bristol to speak detectives but it is understood that meeting did not take place and police have still not held their first talks with Hales.
The video published by The Sun newspaper shows a man who looks like Hales kicking another individual on the ground. He is later shown trying to act as a peacemaker and is heard telling Ben Stokes to stop shortly before he knocks a man down with a right hook.
Hales is one of the world’s leading one-day batsman and a regular at the top of the England ODI side since the last World Cup. Last year he hit 171 against Pakistan at Trent Bridge setting a new record high score for an England batsman in one-day international cricket.
Most of the ECB’s regulations deal with on-field behaviour but under article 3.3 of its code it states: “No participant may conduct themselves in a manner or do any act or omission at any time which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the ECB, the game of cricket or any cricketer or group of Cricketers into disrepute.”
The ECB’s independent cricket disciplinary commission will be chaired by Tim O’Gorman, a former Derbyshire cricketer who is now a lawyer, and will comprise of three members in total.
