Alex Hales' three-year exile from international cricket ended on Wednesday when he was selected by England as the replacement for the injured Jonny Bairstow in its squad for the Twenty20 World Cup.

Hales, a big-hitting opening batter, was dropped ahead of the 2019 Cricket World Cup for what was described by the England and Wales Cricket Board as an 'off-field incident' that led to a suspension. He reportedly twice tested positive for recreational drugs.