Eoin Morgan wants Alex Hales and Jos Buttler on the Ashes tour despite pair's lucrative back-up plans

Both are outside chances to make England’s squad for Australia when it is announced at The Oval on Wednesday morning but both options away from Down Under if not selected

Both Alex Hales and Jos Buttler are outsiders for the Ashes (Getty)

Eoin Morgan, England’s limited-overs captain, insists he would prefer Jos Buttler and Alex Hales to be involved in this winter’s Ashes series rather than see the pair play T20 franchise cricket.

Both are outside chances to make England’s squad for Australia when it is announced at The Oval on Wednesday morning.

However, they have back-up plans if, as expected, they are overlooked for Test recalls, with Buttler having agreed a deal to play in the Bangladesh Premier League and Hales signing for Stellenbosch Kings in South Africa’s new Global T20 League.

Buttler has not played Test cricket since England’s tour of India last winter, when he was the reserve wicketkeeper but featured in three Tests as a specialist batsman. However, England’s one-day keeper is expected to be overlooked as reserve gloveman for the Ashes in favour of Surrey’s Ben Foakes.

Hales has played 11 Tests as an opener and, after being dropped at the end of last summer, has reinvented himself as a middle-order batsman, averaging 47 for Nottinghamshire in this season’s County Championship. Yet like Buttler, the 28-year-old is a long shot to be called up for the Ashes.

With England’s focus in limited-overs cricket firmly fixed on the 2019 World Cup in this country, the team management have encouraged players to experience various T20 leagues around the globe to broaden their white-ball experiences. Ben Stokes playing in this year’s Indian Premier League, for example, was part of that process.

Hales is in form in the white ball game (Getty ) (Getty)

Morgan, though, believes both Buttler and Hales would benefit more from being part of England’s Ashes squad than playing T20 cricket this winter.

“Jos is going to Bangladesh and Alex is going to Stellenbosch in South Africa – that’s their alternative plans,” said Morgan. "I’d like to see them play in an Ashes series. Ashes and World Cups are the pinnacles of our careers so to see guys playing in that and doing well would boost their confidence massively.

"They have a huge amount of ability in all three formats of the game and if an opportunity presented itself in an Ashes series as opposed to a T20 league I’d say take the Ashes every time.”

Hales would be the more likely call-up for the Ashes it seems, with a slot as a spare batsman in the squad his best chance of making the cut.

Buttler is an outsider for the Ashes squad (Getty)

Concerns over his ability to play the short ball on fast Australian pitches worry the selectors.

But Morgan has been impressed by the manner in which Hales has fought back from being dropped from the Test side and believes his performances in red-ball cricket this summer for Notts means he should be seriously considered for the Ashes.

“I think if I was in Alex’s position I’d just do as much as I can and see if I was selected,” he said. “I think it’s nice he has an alternative plan so it’s not the be-all and end-all for him to be selected for the Ashes. It takes a little bit of the weight off his shoulders.

Hales steered his county to one day glory and could be on the plane to Australia (Getty ) (Getty)

“But certainly, in the form he’s shown throughout this summer he’s got to be one of the most in-form batsmen in county cricket at the moment.”

Morgan, speaking ahead of England’s third ODI against West Indies in Bristol on Sunday, added of Hales: “He’s a massive part of our side. When you get dropped from any team there are a lot of questions you ask yourself and there’s a lot of questions asked of you by a lot of people outside our bubble. So, coming back from that shows huge character and to show the form he has shown has been incredible.”