Alex Hales withdrawn from all England squads for international season

Alex Hales has been withdrawn from all England squads for the international season, including the provisional World Cup squad.

Hales was included in England’s 15-man preliminary World Cup squad but it emerged on Friday he had been sanctioned under the England and Wales Cricket Board’s disciplinary policy for a second time.

He was banned from cricket for 21 days for recreational drug use, Sky Sports News understands.

An ECB statement said: “Alex Hales has been withdrawn from all England squads ahead of the international season.”

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

Ashley Giles, ECB managing director of England Men’s cricket, said the decision was “in the best interests” of the side to ensure “there are no unnecessary distractions” heading into a “crucial period”.

The Nottinghamshire batsman will not travel to Ireland for a one-off ODI on Friday in Malahide and has also been removed from England’s squad for the Vitality IT20, the Royal London ODI series against Pakistan and the preliminary ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup squad.

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