England head coach Brendon McCullum has praised young batsman Jacob Bethell for presenting the team with “a good problem” as they consider retaining him at the crucial No.3 position, potentially at the expense of vice-captain Ollie Pope.
Bethell capped off an impressive debut series with a 76 on the final day of the third Test against New Zealand, which England lost by 423 runs. Despite the consolation defeat, England clinched the Crowe-Thorpe series 2-1, with Bethell contributing 260 runs at an average of 52.00. His performances earned him a two-year central contract just a week after his debut in Christchurch.
Speaking about Bethell, McCullum said, “He has a bit of class about him. I’m pretty disorganised with stuff; I’m always looking for my car keys or phone charger, but Bethell always has his. He is one of those guys who is very meticulous with his preparation and planning which then lets his flair and creativity show on the big stage. He is a guy we can’t be more happy with after what he has achieved in this series and I think he has shown that international cricket is for him.”
Bethell’s opportunity at No.3 came as a result of an interesting series of events, starting with Jamie Smith’s paternity leave and Jordan Cox’s broken thumb, which forced Ollie Pope to take up wicketkeeping duties and move down the batting order to accommodate the young batsman.
Pope performed admirably in his new role, scoring vital runs and affecting 10 dismissals behind the stumps. However, his dismal dismissal in the third Test, attempting to ramp Matt Henry, drew criticism from commentators, with Ian Smith saying, “Sit him down in a cold dark room and put some electrodes on his head and say ‘what were you thinking Ollie?'”
In contrast, Bethell showed impressive gumption against the retiring Tim Southee, despite missing out on a maiden century for the second time in the series.
McCullum admitted that Pope’s spot is no longer guaranteed, stating, “Look, it is a good problem to have. We were all a little unsure whether Beth could play at three when we asked him to do it but we saw the talent in him and he has performed very well against a very good bowling line-up. They are good problems. We will work it out. Popey has done really well for us and to have now Beth there as well, you are adding some depth to your batting stocks. They are good decisions to have and we will not make them in the next few days. When we get together again in a few months’ time we will work all that stuff out.”
The emergence of new talents like Bethell, Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson, and Jamie Smith has McCullum believing that England are now better equipped to take on the challenges that lie ahead, including five Tests against India and the 2025-26 Ashes.
As McCullum takes on additional responsibilities with the white-ball teams, he is excited about the prospect of bringing his Test ethos to England’s ODI and T20I squads. “I’m excited by it, we’ll find out, right? There’s not too many times in life you take things on with meat on the bone and that’s why I took on the Test job initially. I’m excited about it, with Jos [Buttler] there as captain. There’s something there to work with. Get it right and we could achieve some pretty cool stuff over the next couple of years,” he said.
