Stokes affirms Bethell’s proven international capability

Jacob Bethell was chosen to play Test cricket despite never making a first-class hundred. England captain Ben Stokes has stated that Jacob Bethell has demonstrated his suitability for international cricket through his runs against New Zealand. The 21-year-old Bethell made his Test debut batting at number three, a position he had not previously held in his first-class career, during the series opener in Christchurch, where he scored an unbeaten 50. The left-handed batsman subsequently contributed 96 runs to the series-clinching 323-run victory in the second Test in Wellington. “I’m pretty sure there were a lot of doubters about the role we brought him into for that first Test match,” Stokes informed BBC Sport. He further elaborated, “You’ve got a young lad with so much potential and so much talent, why not let him go out there and expose himself to Test cricket at its toughest?” In Wellington, Bethell was dismissed by Tim Southee, edging behind, just four runs short of becoming the youngest England batter in 85 years to achieve a Test century. “I was devastated for him to not get that three figures,” Stokes added. He recounted, “I walked in and I said to him: ‘It’s only four runs, isn’t it?'” Bethell’s response was: “‘Yeah, but it would have been flair if I smacked that through the covers to bring it up.’ Class. I think he’s proved a lot and proved why we rate him so highly.” Bethell’s opportunity was originally designated for Jordan Cox. Cox was slated to keep wicket in place of regular gloveman Jamie Smith, who is absent from the tour due to paternity leave. When Cox fractured his thumb in the nets, regular number three Ollie Pope assumed wicketkeeping duties and moved to number six in the batting order, thereby creating the opening for Bethell. Before the Wellington Test, Stokes had indicated that England would revert to their customary formation in the home summer, with Pope at number three and Smith keeping wicket. However, Bethell’s success has presented England with additional options. He could remain at number three or potentially open the batting, replacing the struggling Zak Crawley. Pope could also retain the gloves, offering flexibility regarding Smith’s batting position. When asked if Bethell’s runs had caused him a selection dilemma, Stokes replied: “No, I don’t see it like that.” He further stated, “If it hadn’t have gone well for him in those first two Test matches, that wouldn’t have changed anyone’s mind in our dressing room of him as a player.” Harry Brook was awarded player of the match in Wellington for his first-innings score of 123, which was his third century of the winter. The Yorkshireman did not field on Sunday, when England bowled out New Zealand for 259, due to an ankle problem sustained while playing football. Brook mentioned that his ankle is “a little bit sore” and expressed hope that he will be fit for the third and final Test in Hamilton on Saturday (22:00 GMT, Friday). England’s series victory marks their first away from home in two years and their first in New Zealand since 2008. A victory in Hamilton would make them only the third visiting team to win a three-match series 3-0 in this country. For New Zealand, the significant defeats in both Tests against England follow a historic 3-0 win in India, arguably their greatest performance in a Test series. “We’ll head to Hamilton and if we are able to get in a position of strength, hopefully we’re able to put a foot on the throat and put them under a bit of pressure too,” said home captain Tom Latham. Regarding the prospect of making changes to his team, Latham commented: “We’ll have to wait until we get to Hamilton, to decide what the surface is doing. Those conversations will be had once we get there.”