For Nottinghamshire and England batsman Alex Hales, the forthcoming one-day series against Pakistan is the next step in a quest to achieve his childhood dream.

Hales is desperate to become an all-format opener for England and - following the post-Ashes axing of Adam Lyth, and the failed Moeen Ali experiment in Pakistan - the 26-year-old could be in pole position ahead of the forthcoming series in South Africa.

But, with seven games of white ball cricket against Pakistan sandwiched between now and the Boxing Day opener against the Proteas, Hales is determined not to let the five day format become a distraction.

He does, however, admit it’s another opportunity to showcase his abilities on the international stage.

“Opening the batting for England in all three formats has been a dream for me ever since I was a toddler, so if I do get the opportunity it would be a dream come true and hopefully the start of something for me,” he said.

"This is a different format, against very different opposition, to what we'll face in the Test series in South Africa. So I'm not going to look too far ahead to that series.

"Any time you play international cricket is a chance to show how skilful you are and cement your place in the side, and that's something I'm looking to do in this series."

England played their most dynamic white ball cricket for many-a-year during the recent summer clashes against New Zealand and Australia, as a young side - led by first Paul Farbrace, then incoming coach Trevor Bayliss - won seven of their 12 white ball matches.

Hales played his part with a number of aggressive cameos alongside Jason Roy at the top of the order, most notably the 67 off 38 balls at Trent Bridge that set England on their way to chasing 350 to win with six overs to spare.

The Nottinghamshire man found life more difficult against Australia’s pace attack late in the summer.

However, with that red ball trip to face Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and South Africa in mind, Hales insists his late summer struggles were more to do with form than any perceived weakness against express pace.

“Obviously I struggled against Australia but I’m not sure that was down to extreme pace,” he said.

“I think I just found myself out of form at the wrong time. Pace on the ball is something I enjoy.

“Me being a naturally attacking player I think consistency has not always been one of my strong points but it’s something I’m definitely trying to work on.”

Conversely to what England can expect in South Africa, pace on the ball is not something they’ll be able to bank on against Pakistan in the UAE.

Hales watched from the sidelines as Yasir Shah, Zulfikar Babar and Shoaib Malik pegged back England time-and-time-again during the recent Test series - and he expects the trial by spin to continue.

“The strides we made in the summer were fantastic and this will be as tough a challenge as we’ve had so far as this new outfit,” he said.

“We are playing in dryer conditions where perhaps the game won’t be as free flowing as in England. I guess as an opener the power-play overs will be pretty crucial when there’s pace on the ball.

"It's probably going to be similar conditions to what we faced in the Test series, and so their slow bowling will be the main threat.

"But it's also important we don't get too worked up about that - they've still got a quality seam attack, and we've got to be on top of both areas.

"I think it's going to be a very good series, and a very tough series, against opposition who are world-class in their own conditions,” Hales, who scored 64 off 56 balls in the recent warm-up match against Hong Kong, continued.

"It's going to be a tough challenge, and one we're all looking forward to."

 

England are returning to the scene of their Ashes triumph in 2016 for Royal London One-Day Internationals against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Don't miss the opportunity to watch some of the best players in the world go toe-to-toe in the unique surroundings of Trent Bridge and secure your seats now.