by Warwickshire’s Jacob Bethell appears to be England’s latest punt as the 21-year-old batsman has been named in the 16-man Test squad for the upcoming tour of New Zealand.
England’s first wicketkeeper, Jamie Smith, will miss the tour due to paternity leave, while Essex’s Jordan Cox will take the gloves for the three-match series, which begins on November 28.
Bethell made her debut in both white-ball formats against Australia this summer and impressed in England’s T20 win at Sophia Gardens, scoring a 24-ball 44 in a chase of 194. His left-arm orthodox spin was also in demand, with four wickets taken in the one-day series defeat. Bethell’s hitting power is – by far – his stronger strength, but his CV is still missing a professional hundred.
Born and raised in Barbados, Bethell was quickly included in England’s limited-overs setup after good results in this year’s T20 Blast and the Hundred. In the former he averaged 36.10 and hit 153.61, while in the latter he helped Birmingham Phoenix advance to the knockout rounds. Speaking at the PCA Awards earlier this month, he described his “dream” of playing Test cricket.
“It’s nice to check off two of them, but hopefully the best is yet to come,” Bethell said. “Test cricket has always been my dream and I know it has taken a different shape in the last three years, but that is definitely still my dream – to play Test cricket for England.”
Bethell also admitted that he was still searching for his identity as a red-ball cricketer; After 20 games he has an average of 25.44 with the bat in first-class cricket, with seven wickets at 96.14. “I didn’t really find a spot where I decided, ‘Right, this feels like home as far as a spot in the batting order goes,'” he added. “It could be anything from opening to batting No. 7. Especially with bowling off-spin, I hope I can break into a team as a real all-rounder.”
England appear unconcerned by Bethell’s own insecurity, following recent selections that have prioritized promising performances over performances in the County Championship. Josh Hull and Shoaib Bashir are others who made their debuts this year despite having limited national records. But Bethell remains unique in the era of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes in drafting a batter with no red-ball background to speak of.
Quick guide
England men’s Test squad for New Zealand tour
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Ben Stokes (captain); Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Bryson Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.
Bethell for Smith is the only change to the squad that suffered a 2-1 series defeat in Pakistan. Again, England are happy to play a risky game, with Cox set to make his debut as goalkeeper despite having limited experience behind the stumps. The 24-year-old has played in just six first-class games as a wicketkeeper, all for Kent in 2023, before moving to Essex. Smith’s absence is significant; Only Harry Brook and Joe Root have scored more Test runs for England since his debut in the summer.
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Ollie Pope appears to be England’s backup option with the gloves, having been on a tour of New Zealand five years ago when Jos Buttler was injured. Pope retains his place despite struggling against Pakistan, continuing a strange year that has produced three Test hundreds – each against a different side – three wins from four as captain and a batting average of 32.
Despite a drastic change in conditions – Hagley Oval is unlikely to resemble the Bunsens in Multan and Rawalpindi – England have retained the same balance of bowlers in their squad, selecting three spinners in Bashir, Jack Leach and Rehan Ahmed. A serious challenge awaits as England have not won a Test series in New Zealand since 2008.
