England hero Alex Hales reveals how snubbing tour of Bangladesh helped relaunch his career

ALEX HALES has revealed how he used his controversial decision to quit a tour to relaunch his England career.

The opening batsman missed the trip to Bangladesh late last year over security fears.

PA:Press Association

Hales then broke his right hand while fielding in the one-day series in India.

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But he returned to the England side on Thursday and hit a century in the win over the West Indies to seal a 3-0 series victory.

The Notts star explained: “The last six months have been long and frustrating and, when you spend time away from international cricket, it makes you realise what you’re missing.

“I tried to use the time off wisely, working on my fitness and batting with a small cast when I came home from India.

“I missed everything about playing for England. Playing for your country in front of all these people is great and it’s a huge honour.

“When you have time away, it makes you cherish what you’ve got. To score a century in my first match back was very emotional.”

AP:Associated Press

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Hales was axed from the Test team after 11 matches as an opener but now aims to re-invent himself as a middle-order player in red-ball cricket.

He explained: “I’ve always eyed up the middle-order.

“In my younger days there were so many good players at Notts I had to open to get into the team.

“It became the same with England when there were Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen.

"The opening spot was again the place to target.”

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