The T20 World Cup winner played 156 times for his country, scoring in excess of 5,000 all-format runs. Full attention will now turn to playing for Nottinghamshire and in various franchise competitions
Alex Hales has announced his retirement from international cricket, drawing an end to a 12-year England career.
The opening batter returned to the fold after a three-year exile to help win the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022, his final act in an England shirt.
Confirmation of the move comes less than two months before the start of the 50-over World Cup in India.
Hales will now turn his full attention to playing for Nottinghamshire and in various overseas franchise competitions which he often frequents.
"It has been an absolute privilege to have represented my country on 156 occasions across all three formats," Hales said.
Hales struck his highest international score of 171 against Pakistan in 2016 (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
"I've made some memories and some friendships to last a lifetime and I feel that now is the right time to move on.
"Throughout my time in an England shirt I've experienced some of the highest highs as well as some of the lowest lows. It's been an incredible journey and I feel very content that my last game for England was winning a World Cup final."
Hales signs off having played 156 times for England across formats, scoring in excess of 5,000 runs. Of his seven international centuries, six of which came in 50-over cricket, his top score came thanks to 171 against Pakistan on his home ground at Trent Bridge in 2016.
A preference to play franchise cricket over fully resuming his England career means the announcement comes as little surprise. Hales missed the Bangladesh T20Is against Bangladesh to play in the Pakistan Super League, while reports suggest he is in talks over a Caribbean Premier League deal which overlaps with the New Zealand series.
Set against an impressive career in the middle is his axing from England's 2019 World Cup plans after captain Eoin Morgan cited a "complete breakdown in trust" between Hales and the England squad following news of his failed recreational drugs test before a tournament.
Eoin Morgan attributed a breakdown in trust to Hales's withdrawal from England's World Cup squad (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
The right-handed opener is a regular on the overseas franchise circuit (FAROOQ NAEEM/AFP via Getty Images)
In what could be interpreted as an indirect reference to the episode, Hales added in a statement: "Throughout the ups and downs I've always felt a huge amount of support from my friends, family and undoubtedly the best fans in world cricket.
"I look forward to continuing to play for Notts and experiencing more franchise cricket around the world."
Not just a white-ball international, Hales was one of the many opening batters given a chance to partner Sir Alastair Cook at the top of the Test order in the post-Andrew Strauss era.
He played 11 times between 2015 and 2016, averaging 27.28 and scoring five half-centuries, before being dropped for the India tour and subsequently retiring from red-ball cricket to focus on the shorter formats.
Subscribe to The Cricketer for exclusive content every day: The inside track on England's Test tour with George Dobell in Pakistan, award-winning analysis, breaking news and interviews and the only place for in-depth county coverage all year round. Plus: An ad-free app experience at your fingertips. Subscribe to thecricketer.com today for just £1.
Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.