England limited-overs batsman Alex Hales has joined Worcestershire on a one-month loan from Nottinghamshire.
Hales has been drafted in to play in the LV= County Championship by the Division Two table-toppers to replace Moeen Ali following his England call-up.
Moeen was selected in the 13-man squad to play Scotland in Aberdeen next week and will therefore be unavailable for the upcoming match against Glamorgan.
Hales, who is England’s top-ranked Twenty20 batsman, is free to make his Worcestershire debut in that game at the SWALEC Stadium, which begins on Sunday.
“Everyone at New Road is delighted that Moeen has been selected for England in the fixture against Scotland,” Worcestershire director of cricket Steve Rhodes said.
"To lose a player of his quality is a blow to the team but to replace him with a loan player who is currently ranked as the number three T20 batsman in the world is a major coup for the club.
"He is keen to show his abilities in the four-day format and impress the national selectors."
Hales will be available to Worcestershire for at least three championship games under the deal – with away games against Kent and Surrey to follow the trip to Wales.
The 25-year-old will remain available to play for Nottinghamshire Outlaws in the NatWest T20 Blast during his loan spell.
Hales appeared in Notts’ championship opener against Lancashire, scoring 61 and nought, but has been allowed to go out on loan to gain first-team cricket.
“It’s in everyone’s interests, and Alex’s interests, that he is playing first-team cricket instead of second-team cricket,” Notts director of cricket Mick Newell told the club’s official website.
“The runs that he scores for Worcestershire will be important because that will count for a lot more than playing in the second team.
There's a #Halestorm coming!
— Worcestershire CCC (@WorcsCCC) May 2, 2014
“If he comes good, or if someone gets injured or there is a loss of form, we want to know that he’s in good nick.
“Worcester were keen to get him and Alex is keen to play. The most important thing is that he gets first-team cricket.
“We’re allowed to pull him back for circumstances that might adjust here.
“We’ll welcome him back here on a Friday nights and then in the meantime he’ll get some good quality cricket in between.”
Hales became the first England player to score a century in Twenty20 cricket with a brilliant 116 against Sri Lanka in the ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh in March.