Alex Hales is serving a suspension following an off-field incident not related to cricket, a spokesman for the England batsman has announced.

A report claimed that the 30-year-old had been sanctioned under the England and Wales cricket Board’s disciplinary policy for a second time.

A spokesman for Hales later confirmed in a statement that the batsman had been suspended for 21 days “following an off-field incident last year”.

The spokesperson added: “He will be joining the squad in preparation for next week’s games and will be available for selection. Whilst the issue is not cricket related, Hales accepted that it was right that he was suspended.

“He is now fully focused on returning to cricket and is committed to working tirelessly for both Nottinghamshire and England throughout the summer. No further comment will be made on this issue.”

An ECB spokesperson said: “We have a duty of confidentiality, therefore we are unable to provide any further comment.”

Nottinghamshire issued a statement last week confirming the batsman had “made himself unavailable for selection for personal reasons” and that “no timetable has been set for his return to action”.

As a consequence, Hales missed the start of the Royal London One-Day Cup campaign but had been selected in the England squad for the forthcoming series against Pakistan ahead of this summer’s World Cup. He will be involved with England’s training camp in Cardiff this weekend, with England’s first match of the summer taking place next Friday – a one-day international against Ireland in Dublin.