ECB to review recreational drugs policy in wake of Alex Hales case

The ECB is set to review the balance between player safeguarding and public disclosure in its policy regarding the use of recreational drugs, after conceding that the existing protocol has "failed its stress test" amid the fall-out from Alex Hales' banishment from the England World Cup squad.

On Monday, Hales' management team accused the ECB of placing player welfare "low on their list of priorities", after the board allegedly reneged on a commitment to uphold his selection in England's preliminary squad for the World Cup, in spite of the news breaking that he was serving a 21-day ban for a second failed drugs test.

Privately, however, the ECB has come to the conclusion that their existing policy, formulated in conjunction with the Professional Cricketers' Association, in fact puts too much emphasis on welfare, and leaves too little room for manoeuvre when the sport is confronted with the sort of high-profile case that is currently dominating the news agenda.

At the nub of the issue is the policy's existing focus on player confidentiality, a well-meaning attempt - in the wake of the death of Tom Maynard in 2012 - to protect the vulnerabilities of those who may be struggling with addiction, rather than risk exacerbating their problems through public exposure.

However, the provisions of this protocol have left the ECB exposed to accusations of a cover-up, given that Hales' situation would not have been made public at all but for the story emerging on The Guardian and Cricday on Friday afternoon.

In fact, at the point of his second failed test, and the imposition of the 21-day ban, only Tom Harrison, the chief executive, and Ashley Giles, the managing director, were allowed to be made aware - the levels of secrecy surrounding his case were such that even England's head coach, Trevor Bayliss, had to learn of the situation through the media. ​

A PCA spokesman told Cricday that the provisions of the policy were constantly under review, and that they had been amended twice since their adoption in 2013, most recently in March this year, to allow PCA welfare officers to become involved in any given case at the point of the first failed test.

However, the embarrassment for the ECB was heightened on Tuesday when their official website was found to be stating that a player's name could be made public after a second failed test. That has since been put down to human error, and amended, but not before adding to the perception of a governing body that is struggling to stay in control of the story.

Either way, sympathy for Hales - both at board level and among his team-mates - is in short supply, after a weekend training camp in Cardiff at which Hales reportedly missed his opportunity to apologise to the wider squad for actions which have undermined their preparations leading into England's most significant campaign in recent memory.

To date, his only public comments on the matter have been made through his management company, and the consensus within the camp would appear to be that Hales has exhausted the England squad's patience.

He is still serving a four-match suspended ban for his part in the brawl outside the Bristol nightclub in September 2017 that led to the arrest and subsequent trial of Ben Stokes - but unlike Stokes, who has attracted rave reviews from Bayliss for his commitment to training since being acquitted of affray in August last year, Hales' latest misjudgement seems to reveal a player with little inclination to learn from his mistakes.

It is understood that Hales' ban will elapse ahead of Nottinghamshire's Royal London Cup clash with Durham at Grantham on Friday, the same day that his team-mates play Ireland in the first ODI of the summer in Dublin. An assessment of his mental readiness is expected to be taken by Notts' head coach, Peter Moores, after the player himself was said to be left "devastated" by his England axing.