Alex Hales

Profile details

FULL NAME

Alex Hales

PLAYING ROLE

Batter

TEAMS

Nangarhar Cosmic

The Platinum pick at the top of the order

Alex Hales was Nangarhar Cosmic’s statement signing. Taken third among the five Platinum players at the draft in Dubai on 3 November 2026 — after Muhammad Amir to Kandahar Warriors and Moeen Ali to Balkh Zwanan — he is the second pick on Nangarhar’s list, behind Afghan Icon and captain Rahmat Shah, at the Platinum price of $100,000.

The record behind the price tag is enormous. Hales was the first Englishman to score a T20I century, he won the 2022 T20 World Cup with England, and his 14,581 T20 runs put him among the most prolific batters the format has ever seen. His best season in a league came in BBL|10, when 543 runs made him the tournament’s top scorer, and his highest ODI score is 171 at Trent Bridge. He is a right-hand opener who bowls right-arm medium, and he wears shirt number 10, as he did for England in ODIs and T20Is.

This is his first APL season. Hales was in none of the five squads in 2018, so 2026-27 is his debut in the league — eight years after it was first played. For Cosmic, the job is simple: fast starts. If Hales gives Nangarhar 40 or 50 inside the powerplay, the middle order of Rahmat, Rasooli and Kamindu Mendis can bat without chasing the game.

APL 2026-27 in numbers

The season has not started, so Alex Hales has no APL 2026-27 runs, wickets or matches yet. His first numbers in this league will come after Nangarhar Cosmic’s opening match — the season’s first ball is on Sunday 27 December 2026. Until then, the table below is his career at a glance.

Career facts are from the player’s verified profile record. No APL 2026-27 figures exist yet — the season starts on 27 December 2026.

Where Nangarhar stand

Nangarhar Cosmic’s top order is the argument for this team, and Hales is the first line of it. Captain Rahmat Shah bats at three, Darwish Rasooli and Kamindu Mendis follow, and Shakib Al Hasan holds the middle — but the innings starts with Hales, and Toby Radford’s plans start with him too.

Cosmic play eight league matches, two against each of the other four teams, with four playoff places on offer. The APL season opens on Sunday 27 December 2026 at 5:30 PM Afghanistan time, and the final is on Wednesday 20 January 2027. Hales has never played in the UAE league’s first season — this is his first look at it.