NZ vs Eng – Jacob Bethell at No.3 in unchanged England side for second Test

Online Editor "Valley Vision" 2 weeks ago

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Jacob Bethell will continue at No.3 after England announced an unchanged XI for the second Test against New Zealand at Basin Reserve.

Victory in Christchurch by eight wickets was rounded out by a maiden half-century from Bethell. The 21-year-old debutant struck an unbeaten 50 from 37 deliveries as the tourists chased down a fourth-innings total of 104 in 12.4 overs.

Bethell’s first innings at the Hagley Oval – 10 off 34 -was the first time the Warwickshire batter had ever gone in higher than four, from a sample size of just 20 first-class matches. The England management deliberated changes, particularly with Durham wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson in situ after being drafted to replace the injured Jordan Cox but decided to stick with the same team.

That means Ollie Pope will continue with the gloves at No.6. England’s vice-captain was shifted from his usual spot at first-drop to focus on keeping duties. It will be his fifth Test as designated wicketkeeper, all of which have come overseas.

Pope reiterated he wishes to remain at No.3 after scoring a vital 77 in the first innings – from six – and he is expected to return to the spot he has held consistently throughout Ben Stokes’ tenure when Jamie Smith comes back into the XI. Pope was tidy throughout the first match, with a couple of catches, and looked broadly at ease in the role.

“They always say when you don’t notice a keeper he’s done a good job and Ollie certainly did that,” said Chris Woakes on Wednesday in Wellington. “He was brilliant last week, stepping into a role he hasn’t done a lot of.

“Obviously he can keep and has done previously for England, but to step up at short notice like that and do the job he did was fantastic. For him to score runs just shows his character, putting his hand up for the team without any fuss and cracking on. to move to number six, get such a good score for us and contribute to a big partnership was massive.”

Woakes also backed Zak Crawley to turn around his form against New Zealand, which took a hit after a duck and 1 in the first Test. The opener now averages a dismal 9.88 against the Black Caps in 17 innings, who have emerged as a bogey team for the Kent batter.

“A lot of the time I think these stats that come out are pure coincidence,” said Woakes. “I don’t think it’s anything to do with anything. New Zealand have some very good opening bowlers. He faces the new ball when they are their freshest and best, so he’s probably got some good balls in there.

“We’ve see the quality Zak has. Opening the batting is such a difficult job to do, that you will have occasions where you get low scores. We’ve seen what Zak can do. When he gets in, he’s one of the worst batters to be bowling at in international cricket. I’m sure that will change.”

England: 1 ⁠Zak Crawley, 2⁠ ⁠Ben Duckett, 3⁠ ⁠Jacob Bethell, 4⁠ ⁠Joe Root, 5 ⁠Harry Brook, 6⁠ ⁠Ollie Pope (wk), 7⁠ ⁠Ben Stokes (capt), 8⁠ ⁠Chris Woakes, 9⁠ ⁠Gus Atkinson, 10⁠ ⁠Brydon Carse, 11⁠ ⁠Shoaib Bashir

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