Alex Hales: “You cannot write off any team in the world that will be out to get us”

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England opener Alex Hales has conceded that teams like India and Pakistan can derail his side’s hopes of winning next year’s World Cup.

The 2019 World Cup will be held in England, and Hales knows that the national team will be under pressure to triumph on home soil.

Should they accomplish the feat, it would be the first time England have won the World Cup since its inception in 1975.

However, even though the quadrennial event will be held on home soil, Hales acknowledged that his side cannot afford to be overconfident or underestimate any of their opponents.

“We are on the right path since 2015 and we have played some really good cricket and at the moment we are ranked No. 1 and we probably have a good chance in 50-over cricket,” he told Gulf News. “However, we cannot write off teams like India and Pakistan, with the later winning the Champions Trophy last year. Frankly, you cannot write off any team in the world that will be out to get us.”

England, who have appeared in three World Cup finals in 1979, 1987 and 1992, will begin their World Cup campaign against South Africa at The Oval on May 30.