Why Alex Hales Will Be England's Star Man at the 2016 ICC World T20

It has been a winter of contrasting fortunes for England batsman Alex Hales.

The opener endured a tough baptism to Test cricket in South Africa, but he looked much more comfortable when playing against the Proteas in coloured clothing.

Next up in a busy schedule for both Hales and his international team-mates is the ICC World Twenty20 in India.

In the history of the event, England have lurched from the sublime to the ridiculous. Beaten twice by the Netherlands, they have lost more games than they have won in the previous five editions of the competition.

But, in 2010, Paul Collingwood’s side stumbled across a formula that worked.

After getting through their opening group without winning a game (rain ruined their crucial fixture with Ireland, meaning net run rate decided who qualified behind West Indies), they reeled off five straight victories to be crowned champions.

For England to have any hope of a repeat success in 2016, Hales needs to fire at the top of the order.

The right-hander has now played 39 T20 internationals. Only current captain Eoin Morgan (1,333) and Kevin Pietersen (1,176) have scored more runs for England than Hales’ total of 1,154, per ESPN Cricinfo.

He is also the only Englishman to score a century in the format, a feat he achieved during the 2014 ICC World T20 in Bangladesh.

Hales’ unbeaten knock of 116 in the victory over Sri Lanka in Chittagong was a rare highlight in an otherwise gloomy campaign for England. Having left home with hope, they returned with their tails firmly between their legs after suffering a disastrous defeat to the Dutch.

A return to the subcontinent for this year's tournament should suit Hales, who has made 418 T20 runs in Asia at an average of 32.15, according to ESPN Cricinfo.

He has been in good form recently, too. Hales’ scores in the five-match one-day series against South Africa in February are as follows: 57, 99, 65, 50 and 112.

His 50-over performances—which saw him named player of the series despite England suffering a 3-2 defeat—came after a sticky start to his Test career.

Hales didn’t look out of his depth alongside captain Alastair Cook—as shown by his 60 in the first innings of the second Test in Cape Town—but did appear a little confused as to how exactly he should play.

The 27-year-old was out caught six times in eight innings. He holed out once to long-on when trying to hit spinner Dane Piedt, but he otherwise had issues outside his off stump against the South African seamers.

Never sure whether to stick or twist against the new ball, he looked handcuffed by a determination to prove he should not be pigeonholed as a white-ball specialist at the very highest level. That, at times, resulted in him becoming becalmed, as he went against his natural instinct to play positively.

Former England coach David Lloyd believes the key for Hales as a Test batsman is to stick to his natural game, as the Sky Sports commentator explained to Matt Davies of the Nottingham Post:

"

I was commentating for his Tests. He looked slightly confused, questioning how he should play.

There's two words I'm certain (England coach) Trevor Bayliss, who is a fabulous bloke, will be stressing—be yourself.

If you want to whack it, whack it. You can't think I want to whack it and then try to block it. You can't go halfway.

His one-day form will have proved to him he can play at that level. It's the same bowlers he's facing.

"

However, Hales is in no doubt about how he should play for England in T20 cricket.

He is a pillar of strength at the top of the team sheet, an experienced performer in all conditions who averages 33.94 at an excellent strike-rate of 135.12 runs per 100 deliveries faced.

At 6’5”, the bat looks like a barge pole in his hands. While his footwork can be a little stiff (with a tendency to plant his front leg), his long arms allow him to drive and cut in imperious fashion when offered any width.

In the early stages of his international career, opponents countered Hales' off-side dominance by bowling straighter at him, thereby cramping him for room.

Yet the Nottinghamshire Outlaw is not limited to playing on just one side of the wicket, as he demonstrated in domestic action for his county in 2015:

While he does play in an aggressive manner, Hales has displayed the ability to build on fast starts. Take a look at the list of England’s highest individual T20 scores and you will see he occupies three of the top four slots.

Hales' consistency could be the key for an England team who are capable of anything, both good and bad.

All statistics used in the article were from ESPN Cricinfo