NEWS
Follow UsThe left-field Test selections under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum continue as England have handed a maiden Test call-up to 21-year-old Jacob Bethell for the upcoming three-Test series against New Zealand.
Bethell, who made his T20I and ODI debuts in the white-ball series against Australia in September, has a middling first-class record as a batter, averaging 25.44 from 20 games. He also has just taken seven wickets at an average of 96.14 bowling left-arm spin in red-ball cricket.
But the 21-year-old has been named as a spare batter for the New Zealand Tests which are part of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
Incumbent wicketkeeper Jamie Smith, who was expected to miss the last two Tests due to the birth of his child, will now miss the entirety of the series. Smith going on paternity leave will mean that Jordan Cox will make his Test debut and keep wickets, as reported earlier.
The trio of Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts and Chris Woakes have retained their spots in the squad, as have spinners Shoaib Bashir, Jack Leach and Rehan Ahmed.
Ollie Pope, who was publicly backed by Ben Stokes after the former’s horror show in Pakistan, has retained his spot as well.
The first of the three Tests will be played at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch from November 28.
England squad for New Zealand Tests:
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jordan Cox (wk), Gus Atkinson, Rehan Ahmed, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Jacob Bethell
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