Alex Hales believes he has "changed" after being handed a second chance by England due to Jonny Bairstow's 'freak golf injury'.
Hales was added to England's T20 World Cup squad as a replacement for the injured Bairstow, ending an international exile that has lasted three years. The explosive opener has not represented England since 2019 after failing a second recreational drugs test, but is now set to feature against Pakistan this month ahead of the World Cup.
Speaking after England arrived in Pakistan, white-ball captain Jos Buttler suggested he is a "different person" now. "There's been a lot of water under the bridge, I think," Buttler said.
"It's been a long time and I'm sure Alex is a different person. He spent time out of the team and it's great that he's performed well and forced his way back in."
And at the age of 33, Hales agrees with that assessment, insisting he has "matured" and "grown as a person". He said: "I think I have changed.
"I've definitely matured. I'm comfortably into my 30s now and turning into a veteran. I feel as if I've grown as a person and where I am at the moment on the field and off the field is probably the best of my career so far.
"At the end of the day, it was my fault, wasn't it? I was the one who did what I did. I just have to hold my hands up. You have to look yourself in the mirror and try to improve as a person and learn from your mistakes."
Former captain Eoin Morgan was extremely critical of Hales, accusing him of showing a "complete disregard" for the team's values and creating "a lack of trust" with the team. When asked if he felt a recall would have happened had Morgan still be in charge, Hales replied: "You're asking the wrong guy, I think only Eoin would know that."
Hales was also involved in cricket's racism scandal, with Azeem Rafiq accusing him of naming his black dog 'Kevin' after a racial slur allegedly used to describe "people of colour in a derogatory manner" by Hales' former England teammate Gary Ballance.
"It's been investigated [by the ECB]," Hales said of the allegation, having denied it when it was first made. "I went through the process and everyone is happy with where it's at."
Photos also emerged of him in blackface at a student party. "It was shameful… I was a dumb 19-year-old who had no idea of the ramifications of what he was doing," Hales added.
Now that he is back in the England fold, Hales believes he is a 'much better player' and is desperate to make the most of his second chance. "One of the more frustrating things has been knowing how much better a T20 player I am now [compared] to when I played before," he said.
"Since giving up red-ball cricket my numbers have been a lot better than they were. Just focusing on one format has been a game-changer ... it has made me a lot better. I'm treating this as a blank canvas and only looking to the future now ... I'm really looking forward to the next two weeks in Pakistan and what the World Cup can bring."
