Hales ruled out of West Indies ODI tour

Alex Hales has been ruled out of England's one-day squad for their three-ODI tour of the Caribbean in March, after suffering a broken hand during the ongoing series in India.

Hales, who suffered the injury while diving for a catch during England's 15-run defeat in the second ODI at Cuttack, has not been replaced in an otherwise unchanged 14-man squad.

Ben Duckett, who enjoyed some success in Hales's absence during the one-day leg of England's tour of Bangladesh in October, has once again been overlooked, with Sam Billings likely to continue his run at the top of the order, alongside Jason Roy.

The possibility remains, however, that Hales could prove his fitness ahead of England's departure for the Caribbean on February 22, having undergone surgery last week.

Despite going down 2-1 in the 50-over leg of their India tour, England showed plenty of promise, particularly with the bat, in a series that featured 2090 runs all told, a record for a three-match ODI series.

Stuart Broad, who had been touted for a possible recall to add experience to the seam attack, has also been overlooked.

James Whitaker, the National Selector, said: "There is a huge emphasis on white-ball cricket during the first half of 2017, as we continue our preparation ahead of this summer's ICC Champions Trophy tournament in England.

"We felt it was important to keep faith with the squad that competed during the recent tour of India. The current group of players are making excellent progress under the captaincy of Eoin Morgan and head coach Trevor Bayliss and the tour of the Caribbean will enable the team to test themselves in different conditions against a competitive side in the West Indies."

England will arrive in St. Kitts and Nevis on February 22 before playing two warm-up matches at Warner Park on February 25 and February 27. The first ODI gets underway in Antigua on March 3.