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The absence of Hales does not necessarily mean he won’t start the Sri Lanka series as Cook’s opening partner but it is a further evidence of uncertainty around the top order.
Moeen opens the batting for Worcestershire and has shown himself to be a languid striker of the ball but he is a left-hander like Cook, which could help opposition bowlers find a line to test both. Bell and Cook were England’s previous opening partnership and enjoyed a steady association between 2012 and 2014 but they were broken up to accommodate the more explosive talents of Hales.
Hales is currently ranked the No. 3 T20 batsman in the world and his hundred against Sri Lanka at the World T20 earlier this year is the only time an England batsman has achieved three figures in the format. He only managed 92 runs in four ODI innings against India at the end of the summer but had been touted as a possible matchwinner at the World Cup.
Moeen made his England one-day debut on the tour of the Caribbean ahead of the World T20, opening the batting alongside Michael Lumb and scoring one half-century from three innings. He made 67 off 50 balls against India at Edgbaston batting at No. 7, before moving up to No. 3 with Bell out injured. His offspin provides another facet, one which could be particularly useful in Sri Lankan conditions.
“At the moment, we’re trying to find a settled combination as a team,” Peter Moores, England’s head coach, said. “I think anyone who’s watched us play - we haven’t played as well as we want to. There are certain slots up for grabs, and it’s a case of people getting a chance to go out and grab them.”
Hales, initially viewed by England as a T20 specialist, had a breakthrough season in 2014, scoring more than 1000 first-class runs along with four List A centuries at an average of nearly 50. However, Moores and Cook seemingly continue to value circumspection at the top of the order, with the aim of providing a platform for powerful hitters such as Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler lower down.
Whether that will work anywhere outside of England is a well-worn subject for debate but the benching of Hales is another rebuke for those calling for a change in ethos. While Moeen’s more dexterous batting may be better suited to the subcontinent - despite Hales’ T20 ton coming in Bangladesh - Moores confirmed that England’s planning goes beyond the Sri Lanka series.
“We’ve got to try to win this tour first,” he said. “But it would be daft not to be thinking forward to the World Cup. We’re trying to move to be a more positive side, with both bat and ball, take every opportunity to score runs and put pressure on the opposition. It’s not a simple process to say ‘I’m going to walk out and whack it’.”
