Jacob Bethell Set to Make England Debut in First Test Against New Zealand

Young all-rounder Jacob Bethell is set to make his debut for England in the first Test of the three-match series against New Zealand, starting on November 28 in Christchurch. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed the England Playing XI for the first Test on Tuesday, November 26, with Bethell slated to bat at No. 3. This reshuffling of the batting order sees Ollie Pope move down to No. 6.

Bethell, who turned 21 in October, has no prior experience batting at No. 3 in first-class cricket. The Warwickshire player has scored 738 runs in 20 first-class matches at an average of 25.44, in addition to taking seven wickets. He has also made his T20I and ODI debut for England, following a strong showing in the Hundred, where he scored 165 runs in 7 matches for Birmingham Phoenix.

Pope to Keep Wickets After Injury to Jordan Cox

Ollie Pope will assume the wicketkeeping duties for England, stepping in after Jordan Cox, who was initially set to make his debut, broke his thumb in a net session in Queenstown. This injury has ruled Cox out of the series, and he had previously been brought in to replace regular keeper-batter Jamie Smith, who is on paternity leave.

This series is a significant opportunity for Pope, who has struggled for form recently. He scored only 55 runs in the three-match series against Pakistan, and his poor run of form extended to the Sri Lanka series in August and September. Despite a knock of 154 in the third Test against Pakistan, Pope managed just 37 runs in his remaining five innings across the three-match series.

England’s Batting and Bowling Line-up

The rest of England’s batting order remains unchanged, with Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley opening the innings, while Joe Root is set to bat at No. 4 and Harry Brook at No. 5. Captain Ben Stokes is named at No. 7, with the team batting deep until No. 10.

In terms of bowling, England have named three pacers: Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, and Brydon Carse, while Shoaib Bashir will be the lone spinner, ahead of Jack Leach, at the Hagley Oval.