20 I believe.
Alex Hales banned from cricket for 21 days for recreational drug use. 21 days - is that it?
3 chances is one too many. Especially if the drug was cocaine. If it was cannabis then ok, maybe the 3 week ban is sufficient.12 month ban if he fails another drugs test.
It did sound suspicious when it was announced last week that we has taking a break from playing for Notts. He hadn't played a game for them since last summer!!
Oh well at least Somerset didn't take advantage of our off day. Our tail is too long though. Donald should come in for Wheal.
It's just such an obvious move. I don't know why we didn't do it for today.
Even once Wood is fit again (if that happens before the group stage finishes - I don't know how bad the injury is), I'd still be keeping Donald in. It just makes so much more sense than playing Berg and Fuller as part of a six man attack (plus Markram as 7th).
(Come the KO stages, should we get there, we won't have any choice but to play Berg or Fuller at 7. Losing Markram will hurt us.)
Highly likely that Vince will be going to the WC then. I know that the WC preliminary squad can be changed, so Hales being dropped from that doesn't make it a certainty that he won't be in the final squad - but in reality, you can't see it. This is Hales' WC over.
Even putting aside the morality issue here (eg. is it right that someone serving a drugs ban, for the second failed test, should be able to play at the WC), there's the cricketing issue. By missing Notts' one day campaign, Hales would have been going into the WC having barely played for months. Compared to Vince and others, who would have been smashing runs around for the past month.
Just saw the headline that he has been removed from the WC squad for an incident last year. I assume this is the drugs ban thing?
Wood confirms that he'll miss the rest of the one-day competition. That's a blow.