england-cricket

Did England Make A Selection Blunder With Jacob Bethell? Former England Captain Weighs In

Sreejita Sen

Last updated: August 2, 2025

3 min read

He bowled only two overs and managed to score only six runs so far in this fixture.

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has slammed the England management for including Jacob Bethell in their playing XI for the fifth and final ENG vs IND match of the Test series at The Oval. Vaughan was not pleased with the 21-year-old’s inclusion in the red-ball series as he has played only in limited-overs matches in recent times. Notably, the English batter last donned the whites against New Zealand, which was also the maiden red-ball series of the youngster. But the all-rounder was selected in the place of England skipper Ben Stokes, who missed out on the match due to a shoulder injury.

“They have picked players who have been playing no cricket. And to throw them into this hotbed of international cricket in front of this amount of people, with so many more watching, not just here but on TV screens around the world, it isn’t an easy game,” he stated to the BBC.

Michael Vaughan on Jacob Bethell’s Inclusion in ENG vs IND 5th Test

Bethell bowled only two overs and managed to score only six runs so far in this fixture. However, the ex-captain backed the southpaw as he is yet to gain much experience in the longest and toughest format of the game. Instead, Vaughan took a dig at the selectors for not allowing him enough game time before stepping into a high magnitude match against India.

“If it was that easy, anyone could play Test match cricket. If you’re throwing a 21-year-old into this situation on the back of one first-class match in our summer, I find that absolutely extraordinary. I don’t think you’re giving a kid the best chance of succeeding at this level,” he added.

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However, the batter had enjoyed a decent start to his red-ball career while visiting New Zealand for a three-match series in November-December 2024. He put up a total of 260 runs, including three fifty-plus scores (50*, 96, 76), at an average of 44.33 and also bagged three wickets in the final fixture of the series in Hamilton. Though the Black Caps registered a huge 423-run victory in that match, England clinched the overseas series with a score line of 2-1.

Jacob Bethell in 2025

The southpaw also continued his fine form in 2025. After a rough start in the away T20I series against India in January, Bethell regained his form to notch up a half-century (51) while facing the same opposition in the only ODI that he played in that series.

Moreover, he continued that momentum to have a smashing debut season for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The 21-year-old scored 67 runs in just two matches at a blistering strike rate of 171.79, while opening the innings with the former RCB captain Virat Kohli, in the absence of his national teammate Phil Salt.

Bethell also brought up an 82-run knock in the first ODI against the West Indies at home. He went on to score 85 runs and pick up four wickets in the following three-match home T20I series against the WI. However, the all-rounder still has a lot to improve in his red-ball game as he averages just 28.61 in his 24-match First Class career so far.

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