IPL 2018: 3 reasons why Alex Hales will not be an ideal replacement for David Warner
David Warner received a one-year ban from Cricket Australia for his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal that rocked the cricketing world. Warner has also been barred from playing in IPL 2018, and as a result, had to step down as captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad.
In the absence of the swashbuckling opener, SRH have drafted in Alex Hales, the right-handed hard-hitting batsman from England. The English opener has a stupendous record in T20 cricket, with a strike rate of 136.33, having also scored a century. He has proven to be an effective player for England in limited-overs cricket. However, he might not be Warner's ideal replacement when it comes to overall impact. Here are a few reasons to back that claim:
#1 Poor form
Hales is coming off a rough patch. He has not scored a century in limited-overs cricket since March 2017. His average in 2018 is 26.83 in ODIs and 18.25 in T20 internationals for England.
His form is also a cause for concern when he travels to the sub-continent as his strike rate dips from 143.54 (overall) to 129.55 (Asia). He is coming off a not-so-impressive run in the PSL, where he averaged 21.75 in 4 matches for Islamabad United.
With plenty of spin to contend with in the IPL, Hales might end up struggling.