Despite his heroics in Nottingham, Alex Hales still believes he's likely to make way for Ben Stokes when he returns from injury
Hales still sees himself as 'fringe player'
Alex Hales still thinks of himself as being on the fringes of the England one-day international team, even after a hundred that set-up a record-breaking win over world champions Australia.
Hales hit a superb 147 on his Nottinghamshire home ground on Tuesday as England piled up an all-time men's ODI record total of 48 for six on the way to a series-clinching victory by a colossal 242 runs.
It was an impressive statement of intent by England who, since the debacle of their 2015 World Cup campaign, have risen to the top of the global ODI rankings ahead of hosting next year's edition, when they will try to win their first global 50-over title.
Yet despite his latest Trent Bridge century - Hales made 171 there when England set the previous ODI record score of 3-444 against Pakistan two years ago - there is still an expectation he will miss out when allrounder Ben Stokes recovers from his hamstring injury.
Jonny Bairstow, who made 139 at Trent Bridge on Tuesday, and the in-form Jason Roy are now England's ODI openers, with Hales coming in at number three.
But the 29-year-old Hales, a veteran of 63 ODIs, remains eager to make the most of his opportunities following a stunning 92-ball innings featuring 16 fours and five sixes.
"Being on the fringes of an England team, it’s about as hungry as you ever should be to string together good performances and make sure you’re fit and ready whenever the chance comes."
He added: "I don’t think my situation has changed much in terms of those two guys being ahead of me.
"You’ve got Jonny who's got four hundreds in six games and Jason, when in form, is one of the best players in the world.
"It's a nice problem for the selectors and the coaches to have.It’s healthy competition and keeps everybody striving to improve."
Hales added: "Every opportunity I get is going to be gold dust moving forward.
"Stokesy's obviously going to slot back in - he's one of the best all-rounders in the world. (So) I think it's three of us fighting for two spots currently."
Meanwhile Hales said he was particularly proud the team had piled up a record score against Australia, with a first ODI series whitewash of their oldest rivals the aim heading into Thursday's match at Chester-le-Street, which precede a finale at Old Trafford on Sunday.
"There’s no better feeling and no better team to do it against than the Aussies," he insisted.
"It's probably our best ever team performance in terms of what we did with the bat and the way we fielded and particularly the way the spinners bowled."
It was a sentiment echoed by England ODI captain Eoin Morgan, who made England's quickest fifty at this level, off just 21 balls, on Tuesday.
"It is an opportunity missed, but I'm very proud of what we achieved," said Morgan when asked if he regretted England not breaking the 500-run barrier.
"This is certainly the best period of my career, and the proudest as well," the Irishman added.
Qantas tours of the UK and Zimbabwe
Australia ODI squad: Tim Paine (c), Aaron Finch (vc), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Travis Head, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye
England ODI squad: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, David Willey, Mark Wood
Australia T20 squad: Aaron Finch (c), Alex Carey (vc), Ashton Agar, Travis Head, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Andrew Tye, Jack Wildermuth
England T20 squad: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, David Willey
Qantas Tour of the UK
June 7: Australia beat Sussex by 57 runs at Hove
June 9: Australia beat Middlesex by 101 runs at Lord's
June 13: England won by three wickets at The Oval
June 16: England won by 38 runs in Cardiff
June 19: England won by 242 runs at Trent Bridge
June 21: Fourth ODI, Durham (D/N)
June 24: Fifth ODI, Old Trafford
June 27: Only T20, Edgbaston (D/N)
Qantas T20I tri-series Tour of Zimbabwe
July 1: Zimbabwe vs Pakistan
July 2: Pakistan vs Australia
July 3: Australia vs Zimbabwe
July 4: Zimbabwe vs Pakistan
July 5: Pakistan vs Australia
July 6: Australia vs Zimbabwe
July 8: Final