2019 World Cup-winning player, Chris Woakes recently took part in an interview, where he discussed the prospect of Alex Hales’ return to the English cricket team. The English all-rounder would welcome him back into the squad. However, he said that the team management may not feel it is the right decision.
In case you did not know, Alex Hales was supposed to play for England in the ICC World Cup 2019. However, just before the World Cup, the right-handed explosive opener tested positive for drugs. On top of that, the drugs were for recreational purpose. Hence, it showed that he consumed them just for partying.
Initially, ECB banned him for just 21 days. However, the team management ignored him for selection in the team subsequently.
During his recent media interaction, Woakes opened up on this topic and said:
“I don’t know if it’s 100 per cent the right decision. It’s not for me to make that call. I’m a believer that people serve their time, so to speak. He’s gone through a tough time with what he had to go through with being left out of the World Cup and then seeing that team go on to lift the trophy. That must have been difficult for him.”
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“It’s not my call but I think Alex is a world-class player. I’ve played a lot of cricket with him over the years, from a very young age. In a way I felt sorry for him, but I understood the decision from the management, the captain and the rest of the team. I don’t know 100 per cent what will happen but I’d be happy to see Alex back in England colours. I imagine the majority would have the view that I’ve just given, in terms of people do deserve a second chance. If they’ve gone away and worked on what they need to work on, I don’t see why anyone would see it any differently.”
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Thus, in this way, Woakes stated that he would not mind playing with Alex Hales at the international level.
