England are reportedly set to call up uncapped all-rounder Jacob Bethell for their Test tour to New Zealand next month.
Bethell is set to join the squad as cover for Jamie Smith, who will miss at least part of the series for the birth of his first child. While Jordan Cox is set to keep wicket in Smith's absence, Bethell will reportedly be called up as batting cover for the series, according to both the Telegraph and the Daily Mail.
The 24-year-old made his international debut this summer in England's white-ball series against Australia. He hit an eye-catching 44 off 24 balls in the second T20I, and played an important role with the ball throughout the ODI series. However, Bethell is yet to catch fire in his first-class career so far. He made his red-ball debut in 2021 and averages 25.44 from his 20 games since. He also has yet to score a hundred in the format - or indeed in any format - but does have five first-class fifties.
That record makes him the latest example of a player being selected under England's current Test management for their potential over previous achievements. His selection, while not quite as extreme, comes after the likes of Josh Hull, Shoaib Bashir and Rehan Ahmed were called up with little previous experience of first-class cricket.
Bethell is currently with England's squad in the Caribbean, where the side will play three ODIs and five T20Is starting on Thursday (October 31). He was born and raised in Barbados, before moving to the UK as a teenager after earning a scholarship. He signed his first professional contract for Warwickshire in 2021, where he was praised by Ian Bell as "the best 17-year-old" he had ever seen. In 2022, he scored a 42-ball 88 in the quarter-final of the U19 World Cup.
England will begin their Test series in New Zealand on November 27, and begin the third and final Test - their last Test assignment of the winter - on December 13.
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