Warne: Hales is the man to open for England
Former Australia great Shane Warne believes Alex Hales is the man that should open the batting for England, in all three formats of the game.
Hales, who has been in prolific from at the start of the English domestic season, is a regular in the T20 format for England but has yet to get an extended run in the ODI team, he has nine caps, or play Test cricket.
Warne says the 26 year-old Hales is an attacking batsman that could scare opposition teams much like David Warner does in the Australia side, and should be in the Test team to take on New Zealand later this month.
Jonathan Trott opened the batting in the three Test matches on the recent tour to the West Indies but did not set the world alight which prompted his retirement from international cricket. Yorkshire's Adam Lyth, who was part of the touring squad in the Caribbean, is seen as the next man in line to be skipper Alastair Cook's opening partner.
The 145-Test capped Warne told Sky Sports: "For me, Alex Hales is the man. Get him in across all forms of the game. If England want to look at a blueprint – Australia are probably the best side in the world again now and what it is they're doing well, they picked David Warner to be aggressive at the top of the order.
"England have the perfect player to do that in Hales. He can come into Test match cricket and have the same impact. I'd get Hales in there with Alastair Cook – that’s a good combination. It's an aggressive approach to have him in.
"I'm sure there are a few other guys vying for it – Adam Lyth, for example. But for me, Hales is the guy to open. New Zealand and Australia would be worried about someone like him at the top of the order, someone who could take advantage and go after them."
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