England vs Sri Lanka: Alex Hales delighted to seize second chance as he hits unbeaten 71
'I feel like I've come a long way in the last six months'
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Your support makes all the difference.Alex Hales insists he always knew he would get another chance to prove himself as a Test opener after his unbeaten 71 helped rescue England on a tricky opening day of the series against Sri Lanka at Headingley.
The Nottinghamshire batsman’s innings represented his highest Test score, beating the 60 he made in Cape Town in January, and proved pivotal in helping Alastair Cook’s side recover from 83 for five to 171 for five by the close.
Jonny Bairstow, too, impressed during an 88-run sixth-wicket stand with Hales that blunted Sri Lanka’s ambitions.
Yet it was Hales, whose place came under pressure following a disappointing debut series last winter in South Africa, where he averaged 17, who gained most from a rain-curtailed first day in Leeds.
The 27-year-old, captain Alastair Cook’s eighth opening partner in four years, said: “I always was confident I’d be here and I knew top order players would get runs at the start of the year in the County Championship.
“But the guys in the past have had seven or eight games to prove themselves. So to drop me after four games abroad in one of the toughest places to open the batting would have been quite harsh. I’m pleased they’ve stuck with me.
“I definitely feel in a better place. I tweaked a few things, especially around off stump. In South Africa maybe a couple of times I got caught between defence and attack. It’s going to be key to me being successful as a Test player.
“I took a couple of weeks off extra at the start of the year to recharge myself and I think that’s done me the world of good.
“I feel like I have come a long way in the last six months and hopefully I can continue.”
Hales is just 29 runs shy of a maiden Test hundred, a prospect he admits may cause him to lose some sleep. “I guess so,” he said. “I’m going to come back tomorrow and not put any extra pressure on myself and enjoy the challenge.”
Despite a tough start to life in Test cricket in South Africa, Hales insists he never felt overawed or out of place.
“Even though I wasn’t scoring the runs at no point did I feel out of my depth,” he said. “I think it was me making mistakes rather than bowlers getting me out. At the start of my career I’d rather it was that way knowing it’s up to me to correct a few things. I’m still a work in progress but I do feel confident.”
There were words of praise too for Bairstow, whose confidence as a Test player has blossomed since his maiden hundred in Cape Town in January and was evident again as he reached his half-century here in 59 balls.
“He’s been brilliant,” said Hales. “I think it shows how much he has come on in the last year as a Test cricketer and he looks the real deal.”
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