The selection of Bethell for such a responsible position is a reflection of the selectors’ respect for his talent. He made his T20I and ODI debut against Australia at the end of the home summer and impressed in the Caribbean with three half-centuries in both formats on that white-ball tour. He subsequently landed his first IPL gig with a £245,000 contract with Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday.
However, the 21-year-old remains an unknown quantity in first-class cricket. He averages 25.44 in 30 innings, with just five half-centuries, none of which have come above number 5. His career-best score of 93 came against Nottinghamshire in April. He will become the first specialist batsman to play Test cricket for England without a first-class century since Mike Gatting in 1978.
Bethell only arrived in New Zealand on Sunday after some time off at home following the West Indies series. As a result, he did not take part in the two-day tour match against the New Zealand Prime Minister’s XI.
In a year of England left field picks, this could rank as one on the far reaches of that spectrum. Especially given that Root, with his wealth of experience, could have played the role. While Ben Stokes has been keen to allow England’s leading Test scorer the comfort of batting at number 4 during his tenure as captain, it is worth noting that Root’s 262 against Pakistan last month was three.
Despite a green seamer expected at Hagley Oval, England have opted to persist with Shoaib Bashir as their spinner, with Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse as the outright seamers, and Stokes as the all-round option.
England XI for the first test: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jacob Bethell, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ollie Pope (week), 7 Ben Stokes (captain), 8 Chris Wake up, 9 Gus Atkinson, 10 Brydon Carse, 11 Shoaib Bashir
