Mixing
England can top 500 says Alex Hales after incredible world-record total of 481 vs Australia… and here’s why
20th June 2018,
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ALEX HALES says England’s batsmen are so destructive and confident they can shatter the 500 barrier.
Hales blasted 147 in England’s astonishing world-record total of 481-6 in 50 overs against Australia.
Now, after Tuesday’s heroics at Trent Bridge, he reckons they can go past 500.
Hales, 29, said: “I think so. The 50-over game’s changed so much, even since the last World Cup.
“The standard has gone through the roof. There were murmurs about it between myself and Eoin Morgan when he came out to bat on Tuesday. We were saying, ‘This is our chance’.
“When we got past our previous record of 444, we had a little smirk to each other and said, ‘Let’s push to that 500!’
“Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be because Australia bowled quite well at the death. But the way the game has progressed in the last few years, there’s no reason why it can’t happen.”
A total of 300 was rare 20 years ago. Now, on anything like a decent pitch, it is often insufficient.
The threshold of what is considered possible has shifted dramatically — 300? Easy. 400? Perfectly possible. 500? Why not?
Hales said: “There is no limit to the England team’s ambition. It’s something we’ve spoken about since the last World Cup — about not setting targets or having a ceiling on what we can do.
“We’ve had our moments where we’ve crashed and been bowled out cheaply. But the way we’ve learned and adapted from those games has been brilliant and it’s something we’re looking to continue into next year’s World Cup.”
Here, we outline the reasons why England can reach the magic number . . .
BATS, BOUNDARIES & BEEFING UP
Batsmen are stronger, more explosive athletes than a decade ago and follow gym programmes geared towards power-hitting.
The wood in bats is pressed less by manufacturers and has a lower moisture content — meaning they can be bigger without being heavier and have a ‘trampoline’ effect when striking the ball.
Boundaries are kept short as organisers think fans want to see a bonanza of fours and sixes.
WE'RE RON THE BALL All the latest action, news, goals and gossip from the World Cup
BAYLISS & MORGAN
Skipper Morgan’s lightbulb moment came during the loss to Sri Lanka in England’s disastrous 2015 World Cup campaign.
England gave what they thought was a superb batting display with 309-6 — but Sri Lanka knocked them off with 16 balls to spare.
Morgan realised that totals of 300 were no longer enough — they had to go harder, dream bigger.
Peter Moores was axed as coach and Trevor Bayliss hired because of his outstanding white-ball CV.
Bayliss and Morgan are kindred spirits. They have fostered a spirit of no-fear, no-limits cricket.
Under Bayliss, England have a mixed record in Tests but they are the world’s No 1 in one-dayers.
IMPACT OF TWENTY20
A generation ago, teams believed they could chase no more than 100 in the final 14 overs.
Now, they routinely breeze 100 runs in ten overs.
Twenty20 transformed everything and it is being extended into the 50-over format. Instead of knocking the ball around in the middle overs, teams continue going hard.
England’s 481-6 was effectively two-and-a-half T20 innings of 192.
Improved hitting techniques — in which batsmen clear their front leg and swing baseball-style — coupled with the introduction of ramps, reverses and switch-hits make it hell for leather for bowlers.
THESE GUYS ARE GOOD
Jonny Bairstow looks like he can hit boundaries at will, Jason Roy is destructive and Hales is set for the axe when Ben Stokes is fit! Jos Buttler is arguably the biggest hitter but the aggression and depth of England’s batting is the envy of the world.
ALEX HALES says England’s batsmen are so destructive and confident they can shatter the 500 barrier.
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