England cancelling tour to Pakistan last year made absolutely no sense, says Alex Hales

Alex Hales is currently playing his fifth Pakistan Super League (PSL) and has been one of the veterans in the tournament. Pakistan have been missing international cricket for a long time in their country due to several reasons raised by the cricket teams. Last year, New Zealand and England cancelled their tour to the country citing security concerns. 

Several players and former cricketers had discussions over the incident, and the issue also opened doors for fuming debates among cricket fans. Sharing his views on the cancellation of the series, Alex Hales opined that the decision did not make any sense. 

"That decision to cancel that tour made absolutely no sense. Especially after Pakistan came to England during Covid and helped out the ECB massively. So for them to cancel that tour made absolutely zero sense to me,” Hales said to Geo TV. 

"It was only a short tour, only a few T20s so it made no sense," he added.

Hales has a huge experience of playing in Pakistan, as the ongoing edition of the PSL is the right-hand batsman's fifth season in the league. The 33-year-old is currently playing for Islamabad United, and has previously won the PSL title with Karachi Kings. Hales has an average of 44 at a strike rate nearing 150 in the league. Samit Patel and Bilal Shifayat are the only two English cricketers, who have played more cricket than Hales in Pakistan over the last 10 years.

Sharing his experience of playing in Pakistan, Hales revealed that he feels safe in the country and enjoys playing in the Asian nation.

"I've been here four or five times now and get looked after really well. Every time we come here, the people are very hospitable and cricket is always really good. The fans here are crazy for it. So, it's a great place to come and play cricket, I absolutely feel safe,” he stated.

Hales has been out of the England squad for a long time. The right-hand batsman said that he has been playing the best standard of cricket in recent times and will continue doing the best.

"I'm just enjoying my cricket a lot more now. I'm into my 30s now so I guess I've matured over the last few years away from the game. I feel like I'm playing the best standard of cricket I played in my life and hopefully, I can keep up for the next few years,” Hales said.

"I am just enjoying myself and scoring as many runs as possible and that's the way I'm going to get back into the England squad, just to keep knocking on the door with runs is certainly something I've done over the last couple of years.

"I think my stats are right up there with the best in the world. So, you know, hopefully, that chance comes around again," he added.