Alex Hales – The best t20 batsman on the planet?

After firing England to victory in their final t20i match against Australia at Chester-le-Street, opening batsman Alex Hales has been ranked as the number one Twenty20 batsman in the world in the official International Cricket Council Twenty20 standings.

Hales blistering knock of 96 from 61 balls propelled England to a total of 195-5 from their 20.0 overs, with Australia falling 27 runs short of their target. England’s victory meant the t20i series was tied 1-1 and Hales subsequently picked up the man-of-the-match award. Furthermore, as a result of his performance, Hales also received 65 ranking points, taking him above New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum into first place. Australian duo Shane Watson and David Warner currently sit in 3^rd and 4^th position in the standings, whilst Martin Guptill, Mahela Jayawardene, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Chris Gayle and JP Duminy make up the rest of the top 10.

Outlaws opener Hales’ main strengths lie in his ability to take the attack to the bowlers from the off, taking full advantage of the fielding restrictions in the powerplay overs to thrust his team off to a fast start. Providing he stays at the crease beyond the first six overs, his ability to maintain that initial momentum by picking the gaps and continuing to score boundaries is of equal benefit to his team. Hales is undoubtedly a very talented t20 performer; but is the boy from Hillingdon, Middlesex, really the best t20i batsmen in the world?

In his twenty-one Twenty20 internationals, Hales has scored 665 runs at an average of 39.11 with a strike rate of 135.99. His highest t20i score came last summer against the West Indies, when he made 99 from 68 balls – the highest t20i score by an English batsmen – and in total he has scored six t20i fifties whacking 69 fours and 19 sixes. In total, domestically and internationally, Hales has played eighty-four t20 matches, amassing 2343 runs, averaging 30.42, with a strike rate of 139.21.

These are a very impressive collection of statistics, but how do they compare with his main rivals at the top of the ICC rankings? Number two in the standings, Kiwi supremo Brendon McCullum, averages 35.50 in t20 internationals, scoring 1882 runs in 61 innings, with a strike rate of 135.49. Despite the fact that McCullum has made two t20i hundreds and five in total – including a blistering 158* off 73 balls for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL’s inaugural match – his t20i record is slightly inferior to Hales. In fact, none of the other top ten candidates have a higher t20i average than Hales, with only Shane Watson, David Warner and Chris Gayle boasting better strike rates than the Nottinghamshire man.

However, Hales relative inexperience in the international arena is somewhat beneficial regarding his generous statistical record. For any commentator, journalist, coach, player or fan of world cricket will likely argue that best batsmen in the game’s shortest format is a Gayle, a McCullum or a Dhawan (etc), and not a Hales. To be one of the world’s best t20i batsmen, one needs to be a uniquely destructive force, feared by every bowling attack on the planet. In this regard, Hales still has a long way to go until his status is sufficient to be welcomed into such an exclusive gentlemen’s club.

In order to truly become one of the best players in the world, Hales needs to be consistently successful at all levels and across all formats over the next few years. Whilst proving his ability abroad in the IPL or the Big Bash would gain him much kudos, success on the home front would perhaps be a better place to start. Hales has struggled to get into Nottinghamshire’s County Championship side this season and in the Friends Life t20 competition, he was comfortably outscored by Hampshire’s Michael Carberry and Somerset’s Craig Kieswetter. Moreover, despite scoring the 4^th highest runs tally in the FLt20, Hales only placed 28^th on the 2013 averages list.

Thus, although Hales can take a big confidence boost from the fact that he has been ranked by the ICC as the best t20i player on the planet, this is simply a blurred reality. For despite being an undoubtedly talented young player, Hales is not even the best Twenty20 batsman in the country. Sorry, Alex.