England captain Eoin Morgan has hinted at a possible return for Alex Hales to the limited-overs team during their upcoming summer season.

Hales has been exiled from the English squad since failing a drug test on the eve of the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

Morgan stated last year that it could take a while before trust between Hales and the English Cricket Board is restored.

READ: Hales’ chances of return slim – Morgan

Despite an incredible run of form in recent months, where he finished as the leading run-scorer in the Big Bash League, Hales missed out on selection for England’s ODI and T20I series against India.

‘There is a chance that he might be around the group. He texted me the day we went into lockdown,’ Morgan told The Times.

‘I haven’t spoken to him. My view on that has always been that the trust that Alex has lost will take time to rebuild and one of the issues we have had around having players who would either be trying to get into the side or wanting to come in and us have a look at them in and around training, hasn’t been possible around Covid.

‘Trying to integrate players in that sense hasn’t been possible during this period. It’s looking like by the time we get home for the international summer the restrictions might be eased so that for the process of getting guys in and around the squad, there could be an opportunity to do that.’

England are set to face Sri Lanka and Pakistan on home soil in ODI and T20I series, with Hales a good fit to strengthen an already dangerous limited-overs squad.