Perth Bambi
Pinocchio
I'd agree, give Hales a go. Not checked their first class averages but surely Malian (who I'd always considered a short form player) doesn't have much better pedigree than Hales but Hales's potentially could be higher, given he has proven he can mentally hack it in the international game (in the short format).
Was discussing this with a friend, I also think Hales is a good bet and Malian seems to be a very very odd choice. The worry at the top of the order is that Cook not only seems to be unable to find a partner but its been a while since he has been pushing his 40-60 scores onto 130-150 scores.