Is Alex Hales the best option for England?

I think you nailed it, Mail, with regards to England wanting a more attacking option to open with Cook. This was a point Warne made during the Ashes this summer.

The funniest thing of all is that post-Strauss, Cook and Compton have been England's best opening pair, perhaps showing that it is not how quickly you score, but how many.

I do fear a little for Hales. Steyn and Morkel is a tough opening new ball pair to make your debut against. He would have been far better suited to opening the batting on those flat tracks in the UAE.

Gales is certainly a risk as an opener for me and he's a player that will either score tons for fun or be out within an over. As others have said though, getting that opening partnership right as been a problem for England for a while now and while chopping and changing isn't a good idea, a few have performed that poorly in that position now, it's as if the position is the problem and too much pressure is put on any batsman that gets given the opportunity.

David Lloyd has repeatedly made the comment that there is a huge jump up in  difficulty from county cricket to Test cricket - bowlers are quicker, more accurate and more consultant, they are the best of the best and don't bowl that dreaded one bad ball an over to relieve pressure.

He mentioned that an opening batsman has it even harder as they are facing the new ball which is swinging, seaming and bouncing. As such, he believes that openers need at least three series before they find their feet and dropping them any sooner is far too premature.

Another failure for Hales. Of more concern to me is not the low scores, but the manner in which he has played. His footwork has been suspect at best, and he has been incredibly tentative. He seems caught in between playing his natural game and trying to reel it in. This is backed up by the numbers; a career first-class strike-rate of 59, and yet so far in 7 Test match innings, his strike-rate is a turgid 36 - those are Nick Compton-like numbers.

Shot Selection :

5.2
Rabada to Hales, pitched up and gets Hales driving, the ball screws off the face of the bat... straight to point!

He seemed to check the shot slightly, when a full-blooded flash to a half-volley was probably more in order  :-[

Former England opener Geoffrey Boycott says Alex Hales "has never had it in Test cricket" after the Nottinghamshire batsman made another low score.

Hales, 27, was out for 15 in the first innings of the final Test against South Africa and has made only 135 runs in his first seven knocks at Test level.

"He doesn't have the attitude for it. He hasn't got it," Boycott said.

"Even if he makes runs in the second innings, that's not enough. I need more consistency from my opening batsman."

While Gales performance hasn't exactly shine in this series, is it still not a bit harsh to come out and question his ability and temperament to play test match cricket?

By saying that it's classing him as a one day or T20 specialist and I think he deserves more credit than that, for now at least.

Have you seen Hales bat in this series? His footwork has been a real problem, he is tentative and seems betwixt and between as to whether to play his normal aggressive game or reel it in. His footwork (which has been non-existant at times), playing across the line and wafting at balls outside off stump early in his innings were concerns that many had before he made his Test debut.

He deserves at least another series, but the early returns are not good. If anything, he would be better suited lower in the order, where he is not facing a new ball that is swinging and seaming.

Hales is useless in a run chase ?  :-\

Hales has averaged 17 in this series. Finding an opening partner for Cook is proving to be as tough as old boots. For reference, Lyth averaged 20 in his 7 Tests before getting the boot, while Carberry, Robson and Compton all had an average over 28 opening with Cook.