London [UK], May 10 (ANI): Former England skipper Michael Atherton opined that young all-rounder Jacob Bethell should have been picked for the home Test against Zimbabwe and questioned the idea of him seeing through his Indian Premier League (IPL) before returning to play for his country.
On May 1, England announced the squad for their one-off Test against Zimbabwe, taking place from May 22 onwards at Trent Bridge. Bethell was not featured in the squad as he is currently a part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) camp for the IPL 2025 season, which has been suspended for a week due to rising tensions between India and Pakistan. In two matches, Bethell has scored 66 runs for the franchise, with one half-century.
Speaking on the Sky Sports Podcast, Atherton said, “My own view is that Bethell should have been picked. That is the point of an England central contract – that you have got control over your players.”
“If you are going to put a player on a full central contract – Bethell had been moved from an incremental contract to a full deal after doing so well in New Zealand – then bring your player back.”
“It is a Test match. It is an international fixture, and international fixtures should have priority over domestic franchise competition.
“I know the policy is that players should see through their IPL deals, but I do not particularly agree with it,” he concluded his point.
Bethell has so far featured in three Tests for England, scoring 260 runs at an average of 52.00, with three fifties. His absence means that Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley, two players who have not managed to score a lot as of late, will keep their spots in the playing eleven safe.
In the County Championship so far, Ollie Pope has made 230 runs in four matches and seven innings for Surrey at an average of 32.85, with a century and fifty each. On the other hand, Crawley, playing for Kent, has made just 219 runs in four matches at an average of 31.28, with three fifties in eight innings.
As per Atherton, England may have “forced” themselves into a “tricky decision” when Bethell is finally available for the home India Test series, marking the start of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 from June 20 onwards.
The left-hander had earned his spot in Tests due to Jamie Smith’s paternity leave and a thumb injury to Jordan Cox, but now, Smith has returned.
Atherton added of Bethell missing the Zimbabwe Test: “In many ways, it saved the selectors from a very difficult call.”
“Bethell looked to the manner born in New Zealand, but then they would have had the tricky decision as Smith obviously comes back.”
“They could bring Bethell into the squad, but I am not sure they will because they are probably happy not to have the difficult call yet,” he added.
England squad: Ben Stokes (captain), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Sam Cook, James Rew, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue. (ANI)
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