Stokes Reveals Why He Didn't Want Hales In England's World Cup Squad

All-rounder Ben Stokes said that the decision to drop batsman Alex Hales from the England squad that went to the 2019 World Cup was necessary to avoid any “off-field issue hanging over the team” going into the tournament.

Stokes said that England skipper Eoin Morgan had sought out the senior players of the team for their opinion on whether Hales should be in the team. Stokes said that the team had learnt of the fact that Hales was missing cricketing action due to testing positive for recreational drugs only through the newspapers.

“Eoin Morgan made it his business to seek out the senior players within the squad to canvas their views as to what should be done about Alex’s situation,” Stokes said in his new book ‘On Fire.’ “When asked directly what I would do, I came straight out with it: ‘No. I can’t have him in the squad’.”