England’s T20 World Cup-winner announces retirement from international cricket 

England cricketer Alex Hales announced his retirement from international cricket at the age of 34. On Friday, August 4, the English opener took to social media to announce his decision to end his ‘incredible journey’ with the Three Lions, and confirmed his participation in the franchise leagues. Hales played his last match for England in last year’s T20 World Cup final, where they defeated Pakistan by five wickets to win their second elusive trophy.

The right-handed batter made his international debut in 2011 and represented England in 156 matches across formats in a 12-year career. Known for his destructive batting, Hales played 11 Tests, 70 ODIs and 75 T20Is and scored 573, 2419 and 2074 runs, respectively. He has seven centuries and 31 half-centuries to his name.

“Just a note to announce that I have decided to retire from international cricket. It has been an absolute privilege to have represented my country on 156 occasions across all three formats. I’ve made some memories and some friendships to last a lifetime and I feel that now is the right time to move on,” Hales wrote on his Instagram.

“Throughout my time in an England shirt I’ve experienced some of the highest highs as well as some of the lowest lows. It’s been an incredible journey and I feel very content that my last game for England was winning a World Cup final. Throughout the ups and downs, I’ve always felt a huge amount of support from my friends, family and undoubtedly the best fans in world cricket,” he added.

Hales played a crucial role in England’s 2022 World Cup triumph 

Hales was the second-highest run scorer for England in the T20 World Cup 2022 with 212 runs at a superb strike rate of 147.22. The Hillingdon-born player has also been embroiled in controversy, having been banned from the ODI side following an altercation outside a Bristol nightclub in September 2017. His shocking announcement comes only three more months before the ODI World Cup.

Hales added that he would continue playing for Nottinghamshire in the domestic circuit. “I look forward to continuing to play for Notts and experiencing more franchise cricket around the world,” he concluded. He currently plays for the Trent Rockets in the third edition of The Hundred.