'Proved why we rate him so highly’ - Ben Stokes heaps huge praise on young Jacob Bethell

The England Test team's ongoing transformation under the leadership of Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum has seen them making some bold decisions, including prioritizing youth and phasing out established veterans. Among these moves, the selection of 21-year-old Jacob Bethell at No. 3 against New Zealand was a notable gamble that has paid dividends, as reflected in England's recent series win.

Bethell, debuting in Christchurch last month, was put into a challenging position despite limited experience batting above No. 4 in first-class cricket. This selection was prompted by a reshuffle in the batting order due to injuries to Jamie Smith and his replacement Jordan Cox, which saw Ollie Pope taking over wicketkeeping duties and dropping down the order. Many questioned whether Bethell was ready for the responsibility, but Stokes and McCullum stood firm in their belief.

In Christchurch, he hammered a half-century to help secure an eight-wicket victory. The young batter then followed up with a 96 in Wellington, narrowly missing a maiden Test century as England claimed a 323-run win and the series. Stokes expressed his faith in the young batter’s performances. 

“I know there was a bit made of Beth batting at three with his inexperience and the lack of first-class cricket batting at the top of the order. I was devastated for him to not get that three figures. I walked in and I said to him, ‘it’s only four runs, isn’t it?’ And his response was, ‘yeah, but it would have been flare if I’d smacked that through the covers to bring it up’… He’s proved a lot to a lot of people and proved why we rate him so highly,” he said as quoted by The Indian Express.

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You have a young lad with so much potential and so much talent: Ben Stokes

The reshuffle also benefited Pope, who registered scores of 77 and 66 across the two Tests. His partnerships with Harry Brook were crucial in strengthening England’s middle order, showing the flexibility and depth of the team’s approach under Stokes and McCullum.

“But you know, me and (coach Brendon McCullum) don’t think like that. You have a young lad with so much potential and so much talent, why not let him go out there and expose himself to Test cricket at its toughest? If he hadn’t batted in the top three, he wouldn’t have slapped 50 odd (in Christchurch), which I’ve got no doubt led him into this game with the confidence to go out there and play the way that he did in our second innings,” Stokes concluded.