Bethell fit to play for England in Test series vs NZ as McCullum calls for ‘refined’ Bazball

England No. 3 batter Jacob Bethell is fit to play the first cricket Test against New Zealand starting on Thursday despite having to cut short his time in the Indian Premier League because of a finger injury on his left hand.

Bethell was forced to leave eventual IPL champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru before the playoffs so he could be assessed and monitored by England’s medical team ahead of the New Zealand series.

England coach Brendon McCullum said on Tuesday that Bethell’s finger was “fine.”

“He was operating at gully in our training on Monday and he’s absolutely fine, so there’s no problems there,” McCullum said.

“He should be able to bowl as well, which is quite handy for us to have another bowling option in the top order.”

Bethell was one of the few successes from the 4-1 loss to Australia in Ashes Down Under, making a century in Sydney in the final Test. He has played six Tests in total — averaging 43 — but only once on home soil when he batted at No. 6 and made 6 and 5 against India last year.

Now he is England’s No. 3, replacing Ollie Pope, but has a lack of experience in red-ball cricket. He has played only once in England’s four-day County Championship since August 2024, according to the BBC.

McCullum said there’d be “no excuses” for Bethell this summer, starting at Lord’s this week.

“His game looks in good order,” McCullum said. “I’m sure working in India, I know it’s probably not ideal from a structure point of view and maybe not getting as much red-ball games under his belt, but he has a calm head and he’s a very methodical preparer in terms of the mental side of the game.”

McCullum and England captain Ben Stokes stayed in their roles after the Ashes despite calls for change because of problems on and off the field.

McCullum was asked on Tuesday what England fans can expect of his chastened team in the test series against the Kiwis and Pakistan when “Bazball” will be under scrutiny.

“We still want to be recognizable from the past,” he said, “but we just want to hopefully be a cricket team which has evolved somewhat in some of the key areas where we’ve identified that we’ve fallen short previously. We want to be a team which is better under pressure, a team which can navigate tactically, that can understand where you sit in the game and what’s required.

“We still want the identity of the past,” he added, “but we want a more refined version of it.”

England have named uncapped batter Emilio Gay and fast bowler Sonny Baker for their 12-man squad for the first Test .

“Durham top-order batter Emilio Gay and Hampshire pace bowler Sonny Baker, who are yet to be capped, are included. Sussex seamer Ollie Robinson returns to the England Test squad for the first time since February 2024,” England Cricket Board said in a statement.

The debutants in the squad are Durham top-order batsman Gay and Hampshire pacer Baker, and Ollie Robinson of Sussex returns to the Test setup for the first time since February 2024.

Jofra Archer will not feature as he currently has a time out following six months on the road, is currently in Barbados, and will not be arriving in England until after the first Test match.

He may be available for the second match of the series starting June 17.

Josh Tongue and the recalled Robinson appear likely to take two of the seam-bowling places, leaving Baker vying with Gus Atkinson for a spot in the team.

Atkinson has an impressive record at Lord’s, with 19 wickets at just 10.94 in two previous Tests at the London ground, as well as a century against Sri Lanka, but Baker’s greater speed makes him an attractive option.

An unsettled weather forecast could work in Baker’s favour if there is a prospect that overs might be lost in the first of a three-Test series.

Agencies