Alex Hales retains a desire to don England colours at his county headquarters this year, after capping a return to the international fold with victory in the T20 World Cup final last autumn.
The Outlaws opener hit 212 runs at 42.40 on his return to the global tournament stage as England became the first side to hold the 20-over and One-Day world titles simultaneously.
Hales has hit two hundreds and two fifties in seven outings at Trent Bridge for his nation, and he admits the prospect of striding out on home turf during September’s internationals holds great appeal.
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“Long-term goals haven't been necessarily a thing of mine, but every time I've put on an England shirt at Trent Bridge it's been so so special,” he said.
“When I think of Trent Bridge, I think of a good buzz, a great atmosphere from the crowd and high-scoring games.
“So maybe those England games are in the back of the mind somewhere! Who knows, fingers crossed.”
Having been instrumental in securing his side’s passage to the World Cup final with an astonishing half-century against India in the last four, Hales found himself with a watching brief in the showpiece after falling victim to Shaheen Shah Afridi’s new-ball brilliance.
It was a role he admits he was uncomfortable with.
“I've never been that nervous before in my life,” he recalled.
“Pakistan have one of the best bowling attacks in the world, if not the best holding attack in the world, and they were pretty tricky conditions.
“The MCG was a tough place to bat throughout that World Cup with a lot of seam and a lot of bounce, which is kind of unlike the MCG – it's usually a fairly slow, flat pitch.
“I got a lovely ball off Shaheen early on which can happen; with the late swing he gets from a six-foot seven frame, in my opinion he's one of the best new-ball bowlers in the world.
“That meant I spent a lot of time in the changing rooms watching our chase, and it was a pretty long and nervy hour and a half or so!
“Had Shaheen not been unfortunate enough to pick up an injury it could have been much tighter.
“He was devastated when he got injured: we could actually hear him shouting and grunting from the changing rooms.
“But once Stokesy [Ben Stokes] scored those runs off Iftikhar, we felt pretty confident we would get there. It was an awesome game of cricket, and it was amazing to get over the line.”
With three months having passed since captain Jos Buttler held the trophy aloft in Melbourne, Hales has had a little time to consider the magnitude of his achievement – and the gloss has far from worn off.
“I had a few days off after the World Cup, when I went to South Africa to see my girlfriend, and I guess it kind of sank in then – before then, it had been so hectic that I’d not had time to think about it,” he said.
“To get another crack at it after missing out in 2019, and then to go on and win the whole thing, was as special as it gets.”
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England at Trent Bridge
This year, the Three Lions' T20 and One-Day World Champions return to a venue where they make history as standard.
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