Last season was a good
one for Notts’ 23-year-old batsman Alex Hales as he received his county cap and
made a debut for England
I seem to remember reading
somewhere that, as a youngster, you hit 30-odd off an over. What was the story?
It was actually 50-odd, 55, in one over. It was at Lord’s
Nursery Ground. The bowler bowled three no-balls and there were eight sixes and
a four. I was about fifteen or sixteen and it was a London County Cricket Club
founder’s day tournament – a Twenty20 competition. We actually needed 77 off
two overs and ended up getting them. It was quite a good day.
Is that what caught
the attention of Notts, as you’re from the Home Counties, aren’t you?
No it wasn’t. I got lucky, really. One of my Dad’s friends
was good friends with Jason Gallian, who was the ex-captain here, and he
managed to get me a trial with the Second XI when I was 18. And that was how I
ended up here.
Did you support
another county when you were younger?
Erm, not really. I’m probably a Middlesex lad at heart. I
grew up round that area so if I had to pick one it’d be them.
Was there anything
specific about Notts that appealed to you compared to the other counties? Did
it seem like a big club?
Yeah, it did. They were actually the first team to ask me to
trial for them, so when you don’t have a county you take any offers you can
get. But the ground here is fantastic and they’re a great bunch of guys.
Who took you under
their wing when you first arrived, made you feel comfortable in the dressing
room, and showed you the city?
I’d say probably Luke Fletcher. We both signed at the same
time and have sort of been knocking around together ever since. Everyone’s been
good. Paul Franks. Stuart Broad signed at the same time as me. We all get along
well.
Last year you scored
your PB against Somerset and were awarded your
county cap in front of the Trent
Bridge
It’d be up there, but I’d probably say the highlight so far
was my England
debut. But a county cap’s a very special thing and I put in a lot of hard work
over the years at Notts and that’s a good reward for it.
 |
| Hales sports his county cap |
Did you feel
different, once you’d got the cap on?
A little bit, yeah [chuckles
to himself]. Probably just a bit mentally different. It’s obviously a great
thing to be awarded a cap and I’m wearing it with a lot of pride.
When the draw came out – I’m not going to say we weren’t disappointed because we were,
because they were probably the strongest team in the South Group. Once game day
came along all that was put aside and obviously we were bitterly disappointed
to have lost to them for a second time in a row. But I don’t think there was
anything I the back of our minds going into the game. I think we tried to do
our best and unfortunately it didn’t happen.
After a strong
campaign for Notts, you also forced your way into the England
It was a little bit of a surprise. You’re obviously going to
be a bit surprised before your debut comes along because you never really
expect to get in, but once I got in there I was really buzzing for it. I’ve now
played four in total. I want to try and get myself back into that team. I
missed the last few games (in Dubai ).
How long before the
game did you find out you were in squad?
I found out the day before the squad was announced, so I was
obviously very excited.
And what were the
emotions as you were walking out to bat: ‘just let me get off the mark’ or ‘put
one in my slot and you’re going out of the park’?
My plan was to get off the mark, but unfortunately it didn’t
happen on my debut. I ended up getting nought. But, psychologically, I was just
trying to treat it like any normal Notts game.
International aims
for 2012? Competition for places in England
Well, obviously I want to try and get back in the England
Twenty20 team or the Englans team in any form of the game. It was a very big
thing for me.
The thing about
cricket is you can be playing for your country one day and in a club match the
next. A mutual friend said that you once wrote on Facebook that you were “the worst
league batsman in the country”. Is that still true? And what do you make of the
standard of club cricket in Notts?
Without a shadow of a doubt I’m one of the worst league
batsmen in the country. I’ve got an appalling record. I don’t know why that is
but I recommend that any clubs in Nottingham
don’t get in touch with me. But, yeah, I have played a bit here in the Notts
Premier League and it’s a good standard. A very good standard. And very
enjoyable as well.
What are your aims
for 2012 with Notts?
I want to try and better what I did last year and get even
more runs.
What’s the most
important trophy to win next year?
Obviously Notts have
never won the Twenty20 and to do so would mean qualification for the T20 Champions
League in India
Without a shadow of a doubt, yeah. I think any young player
would want to try and get in the IPL. It’s a tournament full of all the best
players in the world, so that’s definitely an aim. But Notts take every form of
the game very seriously and we’ll be trying hard in all forms.
Whose mood best
captures the team’s mood in the Notts dressing room? Who’s the emotional
barometer?
I’d have to say Paul Franks. He’s probably the loudest one.
Everyone knows about it when he’s around.
Lastly, a couple of
questions about your adopted home city: Where would you take someone on a night
out to show them the best of the city?
Pandora’s Box nightclub
And what is the
current score in terms of European Cup victories between the cities of London and Nottingham ?
I’d say 4-1 to Nottingham …?
-----
ALEX ON HIS NOTTS
TEAMMATES:
Squad comedian: Paul
Franks
Hardest in the squad:
Karl Turner
Best ‘sledger’
(trash-talker): Chris Read
Best dressed: Myself…
No, Jake Ball
Brainiest: Andre Adams
Best drinker: Luke Fletcher
Best golfer: Michael
Lumb
Darts Player:
Myself
Person not to be
trusted with ream stereo: Andre Adams
A version of this interview first appeared on LeftLion
No comments:
Post a Comment