Cricket News: The feud between Alex Hales and Eoin Morgan that drives the former to this day

Hales went on to interview the TV commentators, and the line-up at the time included former England captain Eoin Morgan. 

There was expected to be some tension between the two, given Hales was kept out of the team at Morgan's behest and only returned when the latter retired. 

But even the knowledge of their frostiness could not prevent an awkward yet hilarious moment between the two. 

While conducting the interview, Hales did not meet Morgan's gaze. He kept his face away from Morgan throughout the interaction. 

Even Morgan looked perplexed at the ordeal at one point but did not do much to try and get a conversation out of the opener. 

But why is there so much bad blood between the two players? Well, the tipping point to their feud came back in 2019. 

Hales was named in England's squad for the 2019 World Cup in April of that year, set to be held on home soil. 

However, two days after being called up, he suddenly made himself unavailable for Nottinghamshire's one-day fixture against Lancashire. 

To make things more complicated, Nottinghamshire posted a statement on his pullout and said there was no timetable yet for his return to cricket. 

The mystery behind this was debated but eventually came to light towards the end of the month when it was confirmed that Hales failed a drug test for a recreational drug. 

For his drug test failure, he was banned for 21 days and subsequently, he was dropped from the World Cup squad. 

At that time, Morgan said that Hales had lost the side's trust, which is why he wasn't called up. However, the opener remained out in the cold as far as England's chances were concerned. 

He became a gun for hire across various franchise leagues and found plenty of success in the Australian Big Bash League – exploits that doubtless set up his World Cup run. 

But he never got a sniff at a recall until Morgan was gone, and that explains why their relationship remains uneasy even to this day. 

To be fair to Hales, he's not been the easiest of characters to deal with. Alongside Ben Stokes, he was involved in that infamous brawl outside a Bristol nightclub in 2017. 

That, and his subsequent suspended ban, made him a marked man and thus, when the failed drug test popped up, it was understandable why he was dropped. 

Yet his exile lasting this long – and needing a changing of the guard to end – was something no one saw coming. 

And while Hales might not admit it publicly, it's done a lot to motivate him to give his all this summer while playing for England. 

There's no certainty that England will lift the trophy come November 13 – although they have as good a chance as Pakistan to do so. 

But one thing is for sure – Hales' spot in the team is secure for the immediate future, barring unforeseen circumstances.