England batsman Alex Hales will not feature at the World Cup after being withdrawn from all international squads following an off-field incident not related to cricket, the England and Wales Cricket Board said on Monday.
Hales was included in the 15-man preliminary World Cup squad for the tournament in England and Wales but it emerged last week that he had been sanctioned under the ECB's disciplinary policy for a second time.
A report in the Guardian newspaper said the hard-hitting batsman was serving a ban from cricket for recreational drug use.
A spokesman for Hales on Friday confirmed the Nottinghamshire batsman had been suspended "following an off-field incident last year".
An ECB statement on Monday said: "Alex Hales has been withdrawn from all England squads ahead of the international season."
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