Hales dropped from England's WC squad following drugs ban

LONDON, Apr 29 (AFP): England batsman Alex Hales will not feature at the World Cup after being withdrawn from all international squads following an off-field incident not related to cricket, the England and Wales Cricket Board said on Monday.

Hales was included in the 15-man preliminary World Cup squad for the tournament in England and Wales but it emerged last week that he had been sanctioned under the ECB's disciplinary policy for a second time.

A report in the Guardian newspaper said the hard-hitting batsman was serving a ban from cricket for recreational drug use.

A spokesman for Hales on Friday confirmed the Nottinghamshire batsman had been suspended "following an off-field incident last year".