Alex Hales says he is looking forward to establishing a one-day international opening partnership with Alastair Cook despite all the calls for the England captain to quit limited overs cricket.
Former England off-spinner Graeme Swann, labelled a “so-called friend” by Cook earlier in the week, reiterated his calls for the skipper to quit one-day internationals on Friday.
England’s 133-run defeat by world champions India in the second of a five-match one-day series in Cardiff on Wednesday led tall-rounder great Ian Botham to write off the team’s chances at next year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
One consolation for England was that Hales marked his ODI debut by top-scoring for the team with 40 and sharing a fifty stand with Cook.
“Everyone’s entitled to their opinion but the guys in the dressing-room are 100 percent behind Alastair,” said Hales ahead of the third of a five-match one-day series with India takes place in Nottingham on Saturday.
“If you look at (Cook’s) record in one-day cricket it’s a pretty good one.
“All the guys are backing him to lead from the front as we look to bounce back in this series.
Hales added: “We’ve just played one game and we got off to a pretty good start with a fifty partnership.
“He’s a very technically sound guy and he’s the right guy at the top of the order.
“If we both play our natural games, I hope that partnership will come together nicely.”
Asked about the mood in the England camp after Wednesday’s crushing defeat, the 25-year-old Hales said: “We’re not hiding from the fact it was a poor team performance all round.
“But we spoke about it, wiped the slate clean.”
The 6ft 5in Hales’s call-up to England’s 50 overs per side team has capped a notable recovery for the powerful batsman.
“It’s a dream come true and all the better particularly after how last season went in first-class cricket,” said Hales.
“I’ve had to work really hard to show people I can be more than just aTwenty20 slogger.
And with Australia-born Sam Robson’s position as Cook’s opening partner in Test cricket being called into question, Hales said he still had ambitions to play five-day cricket for England.
“It’s always been my dream to play Test cricket,” he said.
“I’m ready to work hard and earn that spot, I hope.”
Hales added he had been encouraged by the Test performances of several attacking opening batsmen.
“David Warner, Chris Gayle, Virender Sehwag, those guys are attacking opening batsmen.
“I think there is space for it. But it’s going to come with a lot of hard technical work, and that’s up to me.”
