England have named Warwickshire all-rounder Jacob Bethell in their squad for the three-Test tour of New Zealand, along with Jamie Smith, who missed the trip due to the birth of his first child.
Jordan Cox will keep wickets in Smith’s absence, with Bethell, like Cox, added to the 16-man group as batting cover for the series starting on November 28, uncapped at Test level.
Vice-captain Ollie Pope has retained his place despite averaging 11 and top-scoring 29 in the 2-1 series loss in Pakistan.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
We look back at Ollie Pope’s struggle against Pakistan. His scoring average in the series was just 11.
The first New Zealand Test in Christchurch was followed by matches in Wellington on 6 December and Hamilton on 14 December.
Barbados-born Bethell, 21, has averaged 25.44 in 20 first-class matches but is yet to score 100 runs. He scored his highest score of 93 against Nottinghamshire at the start of the 2024 season.
However, he made an impressive middle-order cameo with the bat against Australia in ODI and T20I cricket in September, which was his first international appearance.
He hit a 15-ball vitality blast 50 for the Birmingham Bears against Northamptonshire this summer.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
The classic commentator’s curse hit Michael Atherton as Bethell was dismissed in the second ODI against Australia.
Bethell also bowls left-arm spin. He struck four times in five ODIs against Australia. However, in red-ball cricket, he took only 7 wickets at an average of 96.14.
Bethell, Cox and leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed (later retained in the squad as one of three spinners along with Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashir) will be linked with New Zealand’s Test group once their white-ball commitments in the West are over. Indie.
Cox keeping wicket in New Zealand
Cox, who was England’s reserve batsman in Pakistan, scored 918 runs at an average of 65.57 and hit 400 against Essex in the County Championship Division One this summer.
He has kept a wicket in only six first-class matches and has not donned the gloves in red-ball cricket since June 2023.
Cox will keep England wicket in the absence of Jamie Smith.
England coach Brandon McCollum said after news of Smith’s absence broke earlier this month: “New Zealand are a comfortable place to take wickets and it would be good to take a look at Cox.”
“His kicking is solid. He’s actually annoyingly good at everything he does, especially with a bat in his hands. He’s one of those guys who say he has a high ceiling in terms of talent.”
Cox’s selection as wicketkeeper probably means that Jonny Bairstow and Ben Foakes, who were dropped after the 4-1 defeat in India last winter, may have played their final Tests.
Pope trudges off after low score against Pakistan
Meanwhile, Pope had McCullum’s steadfast support following the defeat in Pakistan.
“We know that when Poppy comes in, we get big scores. Batting at number three is not an easy task,” said McCollum, who will take over as England white-ball coach in early 2025.
“I know Poppy will be disappointed with his score. I expect him to bounce back in New Zealand and we will ensure he has the support around him to help him do so.”
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain said England were exposed to a rotating pitch in Pakistan.
New Zealand became the first visiting team to win a Test series in India since 2012, beating England to a 1-1 draw against Ben Stokes’ side in early 2023.
England’s Test tour of New Zealand
- First test: November 28 – December 2 (Christchurch)
- Second test: December 6-10 (Wellington)
- Third test: December 14-18 (Hamilton)
