Jacob Bethell’s hair has gone platinum and, in a round-about way, so might his prospects. England’s 21-year-old left-hander flew into Auckland at the weekend, blond streak blazing, to start a fortnight that could shape his immediate Test future.
England play three T20s and three ODIs on compact New Zealand grounds not usually linked to Ashes auditions. Yet the timing is irresistible. The Test squad for Australia will be finalised in early November and, right now, the No. 3 slot remains open. Ollie Pope is the incumbent, his average hovering in the mid-30s after 61 Tests. Bethell, meanwhile, has no first-class hundred and only a single season of Championship cricket behind him. Opportunity, though, has a habit of ignoring CVs.
England coaches like to talk about “ceiling”, and Bethell’s is perceived to be sky-high. Last month, as injuries chipped away at the white-ball group, he was bumped up the order: No. 6 to No. 4 in the final South Africa ODIs, then to first drop in the T20 side. More time in the middle, more chances to leave a highlight reel that the selectors simply can’t ignore.
He knows it, too. Speaking at the PCA awards in London before the squad flew out, Bethell admitted the obvious: “I’ll be playing cricket, but whether that has any impact on what actually happens going into that Ashes series, I don’t know. Form’s a big thing in sport… I’ll just try to put in performances to win games for England, and if that does end up in an Ashes call-up into the XI, then I’ll be taking that with both hands, hopefully.”
That tumble of words – excited but guarded – captured the mood. Bethell is a lock for the white-ball sides now, especially with Ben Duckett rested, but Test selection is a different beast. Kevin Pietersen made the jump in 2005 after 21 first-class hundreds; Bethell has none. The parallel, as one analyst pointed out, is more about narrative than numbers.
England’s planning group, led by Rob Key and Brendon McCullum, have signalled they will leave squad spots open for as long as possible. “Things usually sort themselves out,” Key said recently. A rolled ankle in Perth or a stray net-session fracture and the debate ends anyway. Still, that uncertainty fuels the speculation Bethell is trying to avoid, and it throws even more light on every cover-drive he plays against New Zealand.
Conditions there are relevant in only a loose sense. Eden Park’s short straight boundaries bear little resemblance to the extra pace and bounce of Perth or Adelaide. Yet the selectors are watching for intent, tempo and the way he builds an innings under pressure – traits that travel better than technique alone. Former England opener Mark Butcher offered a succinct take on Sky Sports: “People get hung up on where the runs come; I’m looking at how. Bethell scores in Test match areas, and he does it fast.”
A wider pool of voices are urging patience. Not least Warwickshire director of cricket Gavin Larsen, who had Bethell under his wing all summer. “Jacob’s learning the craft. A New Zealand tour is great, an Ashes tour is enormous. Let’s just see how he copes then make decisions,” Larsen told BBC Radio WM this week.
Bethell has, at least, tasted Australian conditions. Three winters ago he captained England Under-19s and made a classical hundred at No. 3 on a spicy pitch in Brisbane. Those who were there still rave about the clip through mid-wicket that sailed over the rope at long-on – part power, part timing, all confidence.
Since then, the ride has been uneven. A shoulder injury wiped out half of last summer’s Championship, and the early-season Dukes ball has occasionally found a way through a bat-pad gap he is still tidying up. But there is also the ODI hundred against South Africa last month, a fluent 108 at Lord’s that turned a stuttering chase into a canter. Moeen Ali called it “the best debut ton I’ve seen since Jos”, and you could almost hear the selection panel scribbling notes.
England’s squad for New Zealand will train in Christchurch this week before the opening T20 at Dunedin on Saturday. Bethell is pencilled in at first drop again, with Jonny Bairstow and Will Jacks around him. Pope, back home in Surrey kit, starts indoor work next Monday. If Bethell piles up runs, the drumbeat will grow louder. If he falters, the status quo holds.
Either way, England gain clarity. And Jacob Bethell, platinum mop and all, gets his shot at the big conversation.
