One of T20 cricket’s brightest stars, England’s opening batter Alex Hales will turn out in Desert Vipers colours during the inaugural edition of the ILT20 the tournament being hosted in the United Arab Emirates from 13 January to 12 February, 2023.
The good news is that Hales believes the Vipers have what it takes to win the competition; but the bad news for T20 bowlers all around the world is that he intends to concentrate on the shorter formats for the time being, with no immediate plans to return to 50-over cricket.
A member of England’s T20 World Cup-winning squad, Hales is riding on a crest of an incredible wave of form since his return to national duty after a three-year hiatus. He had the second-highest aggregate for his team in the World Cup with 212 runs, while also striking 10 sixes, a mark bettered only by Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza among all players.
The England batter on whether he still has ambitions in the 50-over game: “I think for the time being my focus lies purely on T20 cricket. It is a format where over the last three years, I have gotten better at a really quick rate. I think for the time being I am just going to focus on T20 Cricket, and probably give that (50 over cricket) some thought. I know there is a World Cup in India next summer, but for the moment my focus is on this tournament and the T20 franchise circuit. You have to see what the future holds, you just never know.”
Alex Hales on joining the Desert Vipers, and what made him decide to play in the UAE and the ILT20: “I know Tom Moody really well. I have played under him in the past, so to get a chance to work with him again was awesome. I am really looking forward to being part of a new franchise.”
“Being a part of a new and exciting competition is really important for me as a T20 cricketer. The game is growing, and to get a chance to play in a country I like, where I have spent a lot of time playing cricket over the years, is really exciting.”
Alex Hales on coming into the ILT20 on the crest of a wave after the T20 World Cup in Australia: “It is a special feeling, something I did not think I would get a chance to do again was playing the World Cup. I think I will be riding that wave for some time. It has definitely not sunk in yet. I hope I can carry that form into this tournament.”