England swashbuckling opener Alex Hales has expressed that he felt satisfied to have scored a monumental knock of 171 at Trent Bridge after going through "a tough few weeks" in the ongoing series against Pakistan.
The 27-year-old could only muster a paltry 166 runs in his previous 10 innings against Pakistan this season-eight in the Tests and the first two ODIs-before he smashed the 23-year-old record of Robin Smith as England's highest individual ODI scorer with his 122-ball run fest on Tuesday.
"It's been a tough few weeks personally. The Test series didn't go to plan but when it comes to the white ball in the last 12 months I've felt in good form," Hales was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. "I was always confident heading into this series and it's nice to put it right tonight. The summer has had plenty of ups and downs.
"I did well against Sri Lanka but didn't do myself justice against Pakistan. It's nice to try and sweep that under the rug and try to move forwards."
Although Hales began the series with scores of 7 and 14 in the first two ODIs, he has been impressive for much of the year in the 50-overs format. He hit five consecutive fifty-plus scores against South Africa before smashing an unbeaten 133 against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston.
England recorded the highest-ever team total in a one-day international, posting 444 for three against Pakistan, who could only make 275 in reply. With the 169-run win, the hosts have wrapped up the five-match series in overwhelming style.
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