Alex Hales’ Test credentials are already in the spotlight just two days into England’s tour of South Africa, after Zambian seamer Junior Dala claimed the opener was “under pressure”.
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Hales is expected to make his Test debut in the Boxing Day Test at Durban, but his first two innings on tour have fallen flat. He has been dismissed for just eight on both occasions by Dala, bowled offering no stroke on day one and then playing on after a passive hour-long second innings on Wednesday.
He is likely to get further chances in next week’s meeting with South Africa A, but the technical assessment of Dala may cause some alarm bells with the likes of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel waiting in the Test series.
“I knew he hasn’t played Test yet so I knew he was under pressure,” Dala said. “I just came in and went hard at him, trying to expose the fact he is keen to score runs. “It’s nice when a game plan comes together.”
And Dala hopes he has helped point the way for the South African national side.
“With the video analysis we do in cricket we felt we could expose a few of the English top order and maybe that could be good for the Proteas in the Test series,” he said.
England all-rounder Chris Woakes, who took his first wicket of the trip as the South Africa XI were dismissed for 188 in reply to the tourists’ 470 for seven, has no such concerns over Hales.
“He probably hasn’t had the time in the middle he’d like, but we’re only two days into the tour and there’s plenty of time to get into nick,” he said. “He’s a great player and he deserves his opportunity.
“Fingers crossed in the next week or two before the first Test he can get some more time out there and show what he can do.”
With Steven Finn’s fitness not yet clear, Woakes appears to be in a shootout with uncapped left-armer Mark Footitt for the third seamer’s role.