Alex Hales leaves fans mystified after England record ODI score following string of low Test scores against Pakistan

ALEX HALES is the enigma who has confused England captains, bosses, spectators — and probably himself.

You can hardly believe the man who hit an England record of 171 from 122 balls against Pakistan on Tuesday can be so hesitant in Test cricket.

England want Hales to be Alastair Cook’s long-term opening partner in the red-ball game but he has yet to score a century in 21 innings.

In one-day matches, by contrast, Hales has plundered four centuries, a 99 and three other fifties in his last 14 knocks.

He holds England records for highest scores in both Twenty20 and 50-over cricket.

So who is the real Alex Hales? Is he a tattooed chav who invaded the third umpire’s room at The Oval last month and showered him with abuse after being given out to a low catch?

Or is he an articulate and accomplished performer who speaks honestly about trying to improve his shortcomings?

Is he a white-ball superstar who would breeze into any one-day team in the world with his clinical hitting?

Or is he a neutered Test match batsman riddled with technical flaws and lacking the confidence to trust his natural, attacking instincts?

Well, Hales, 27, is probably a bit of all of the above.

His historic innings at Trent Bridge, he broke Robin Smith’s figure of 167 not out set in 1993, ended a miserable trot.

He scored 39 in his previous five innings and suffered his brain storm at The Oval.

England were losing patience with Hales’ lack of runs, increasingly tense behaviour and lapses in the field. He admitted ahead of today’s one-dayer at Headingley: “It has been a tough few weeks.

“I had a good time in the Tests against Sri Lanka earlier in the summer but didn’t do myself justice against Pakistan.

“And what happened at The Oval didn’t help. So it’s nice to sweep that under the rug.

“Runs in one-day cricket won’t do my Test chances any harm but red-ball and white-ball are two very different games. All I can do is try to score as many as I can and keep myself in contention.

“I know I didn’t perform as well as I can in the Tests.

“But it took me 20-odd games in one-day cricket to cement my spot, so hopefully the selectors stick with me.”

BEN STOKES has returned to the Twenty20 squad for the first time since April when he was hit for four consecutive sixes in the last over of the World T20 final as England lost to West Indies.

Mark Wood is also back for the tie with Pakistan at Old Trafford on September 7.