Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook says Jacob Bethell should consider returning to play county cricket with Warwickshire, rather than “sitting on his arse…not doing anything” at the Indian Premier League.
Bethell’s brilliant century in the final Test at Sydney was a belated high point of England’s woeful Ashes tour and he cemented his status as a star in the making with an astonishing 105 in the T20 World Cup semi-final against India in March.
But that remains his most recent competitive innings, having failed to earn a spot in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru team. He has spent six matches watching from the sidelines, with head coach Andy Flower preferring England team-mate Phil Salt, Tim David, Romario Shepherd and Josh Hazlewood as his overseas picks.
The 22-year-old is now facing a similar situation to last season, when his IPL stint prevented him from pushing his cause at the start of the domestic campaign and ultimately stopped him from overtaking Ollie Pope in the pecking order until the Ashes had already been lost.
Cook feels he showed Down Under that he could answer England’s problems at opener, where Zak Crawley looks certain to make way, but is worried by his lack of cricket.
Speaking on The Overlap and Betfair’s Stick to Cricket podcast, he said: “For that top order batting, the way he played at Sydney, against that attack, in those conditions…I’ve looked at a player there and I’m certain this bloke can open. If he can bat three, he can open.
“(But) it’s not ideal, is it? Bethell shouldn’t really be it because he’s not opening. He’s sitting on his arse at the IPL not doing anything. Ideally he could come back and open for Warwickshire to help England.”
Ben Duckett pulled out of a contract with Delhi Capitals recently to play for Nottinghamshire and shore up his Test spot, but it seems a long shot that Bethell will seek an early exit. RCB are well placed in the standings and an agreement is already in place with the England and Wales Cricket Board over player availability. Bethell, who earns around £250,000 from his deal, may also be loath to turn his back on what is the biggest global T20 league.
And while Cook is still taking a keen interest in England matters, he has confirmed in no uncertain terms that he will not be taking over as the new national selector. Other higher-profile ex-internationals including Mark Butcher and Steve Harmison have already ruled themselves out and Cook followed suit.
“I am categorically not going to be a selector for England,” he said.
“To be the chairman of selectors, you need to be a really good figurehead because you need to be able to speak to the media and the fans very well to explain decisions. They’ve also got to be able to stand up to (captain) Ben Stokes and (head coach) Baz McCullum and give an alternative view.
“At certain times, you’ve looked at a side and gone ‘actually, I’m not sure that’s right.’ Stokes and Baz have been able to push their way through.”
Ed Smith, who held the role of national selector between 2018 and 2021, has been tipped for a return to the ECB but not in his previous guise. He is reportedly under consideration for a non-executive board position, with bosses keen to add another experienced cricketing voice.
