My record won’t last long: Hales

nottingham, august 31

Alex Hales does not expect to be an England record-holder for long after his 171 helped the team post a new world mark of 444/3 in ODIs. Hales’ innings at his home ground of Trent Bridge was the highest score by an England batsman in this format and helped the hosts to a 169-run win that ensured they won the series at 3-0 up with two to play.

But Hales believes it’s just a matter of time before an England colleague betters his score.  “I think (given) the improvement we’ve shown in the last couple of years, I’m not sure how long that record will stand,” he said. “The batting we’ve got all the way down to pretty much No. 11, so it’s an exciting time for us as a team.”

This victory was further evidence of the progress England have made in the 50-over format since their dismal first-round exit at last year’s World Cup. And Hales believes there is better to come from the 2019 World Cup hosts. “It’s exciting for us as I don’t think we’ve reached our full potential yet. We’re still learning with the bat and ball and still improving in the field, so hopefully there’s a lot more to come in the next two years,” Hales said.

Pakistan captain Azhar Ali praised Hales and Butler but accepted his own side’s fielding had been well below the required standard. “It was an exceptional innings from Alex Hales and Jos Buttler,” he said. “But I think 444 is a bit too much. I think we missed some key chances — especially that (Wahab Riaz) no-ball when we would have got rid of Alex Hales on 70. We didn’t start well, and there’s no excuse for that.” — Reuters