England's Hales announces int'l retirement

England batsman Alex Hales has announced his retirement from international cricket at the age of 34, drawing the curtain on a controversial career on Friday, reports Reuters.

The right-hand batsman, who played 11 Test matches, 70 One-Day Internationals and 75 Twenty20s for England, was dropped from England's 2019 ODI World Cup squad after news of a failed recreational drugs test broke a month before the tournament and spent nearly three years in exile.

He was called back for the 2022 T20 World Cup as a replacement to replace the injured Jonny Bairstow, a tournament England went on to win.

"I have decided to retire from international cricket. It has been an absolute privilege to have represented my country...," Hales said in a post on Instagram.