England head coach Trevor Bayliss hints that Alex Hales could be set for Test chop
England head coach Trevor Bayliss has hinted that Nottinghamshire batsman Alex Hales could be axed from the Test side as the search for skipper Alastair Cook’s long-term opening partner looks set to continue.
Hales smashed a record-breaking one-day knock of 171 against Pakistan at Trent Bridge last week but failed to fire during the Test series against the same opposition, averaging just 18.12 with a top score of 54.
Asked if a change at the top of the batting order was in the offing, Bayliss said: “Possibly. There have been some young players making some runs, who are coming into calculations, which is very exciting.
“That’s obviously one of the talking points around the selection table.”
Lancashire’s 19-year-old opener Haseeb Hameed has been linked with an England call-up after scoring 1,129 runs in his first full season of county cricket. Bayliss added: “If he’s good enough, he’s old enough. I wouldn’t have any problem picking him.”
Bayliss also confirmed that he expects the majority of players to travel to Bangladesh this winter amid ongoing security concerns. There remains uncertainly over the readiness of one-day skipper Eoin Morgan to tour.
“I think most of them will,” said Bayliss. “I’m not sure if there’s anyone come out, certainly they haven’t said anything to me one way or another.”