Jacob Bethell shines as England’s gamble reaps rewards on NZ Tour | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Jacob Bethell‘s selection as England’s No.3 against New Zealand last month in Christchurch was initially seen as a risk but captain Ben Stokes on Sunday expressed satisfaction after the series win.
Bethell, only 21, had never batted higher than number four in first-class cricket before his Test debut. He scored a half-century in Christchurch, contributing to an eight-wicket victory. He followed this with an impressive 96 runs in the second Test in Wellington, a match England won by 323 runs.
“I know there was a bit made of Beth batting at three with his inexperience and the lack of first class cricket batting at the top of the order,” Stokes said in his post-match press conference.
“But you know, me and (coach Brendon McCullum) don’t think like that. You have 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?
“If he hadn’t batted in the top three, he wouldn’t have slapped 50 odd (in Christchurch), which I’ve got no doubt led him into this game with the confidence to go out there and play the way that he did in our second innings.”
Stokes highlighted the positive impact of Bethell’s first Test innings on his confidence and performance in the second Test. Bethell’s opportunity arose due to the absence of wicketkeeper Jamie Smith and an injury to his replacement, Jordan Cox.
The situation necessitated Ollie Pope to take the gloves, moving down the order from his usual number three position. The change also benefited Pope, who scored 77 in the first Test and 66 in the second, forging crucial partnerships with Harry Brook.
Despite the team’s success, Stokes expressed disappointment that Bethell, who made his England debuts in the shorter formats in September, missed out on his maiden Test century at the Basin Reserve.
“I was devastated for him to not get that three figures.”
Stokes shared his personal disappointment for Bethell’s near miss. He recounted a conversation with Bethell after the innings.
“I was devastated for him to not get that three figures,” Stokes added.
“I walked in and I said to him, ‘it’s only four runs, isn’t it?’ And his response was, ‘yeah, but it would have been flare if I’d smacked that through the covers to bring it up’. Class.
“He’s proved a lot to a lot of people and proved why we rate him so highly.”