Brendon McCullum hints England will not make No 3 decision until next week with vice-captain Ollie Pope at risk of being dropped for Jacob Bethell in first India Test
Brendon McCullum has indicated England will not decide on who will bat at No 3 for the first Test against India until the squad gathers in Leeds next week.
With Jacob Bethell continuing to show he is an unstoppable force in international cricket with an unbeaten 36 off 16 balls to complete a 3-0 Twenty20 whitewash of West Indies on Tuesday night, it is hard to envisage how he can be denied a Test recall.
However, that would appear to mean that vice-captain Ollie Pope is omitted from the XI for the match starting at Headingley next Friday.
Pope struck 171 against Zimbabwe last month, with Bethell absent due to Indian Premier League duty, while the other player under pressure in the top six, Zak Crawley, weighed in with 124.
Of the selection dilemma, England coach McCullum said: 'We'll deal with that in the next few days.
'Obviously, they're great options to have, we're starting to get some real depth not just across the batting but also in the bowling. You welcome those decisions. You're not scrambling around for people.
'We'll deal with it in the next few days. Let's let this one sink in, enjoy the next few days and plan our way towards that first Test.'
The only other way that England could accommodate Bethell - 'a serious talent at 21 years of age,' according to McCullum - would be as a part-time bowling option alongside Joe Root if the selectors opted against a front-line spinner in the form of Shoaib Bashir.
However, England have consistently backed Bashir since plucking him from obscurity to debut against India last year, picking him ahead of his more experienced Somerset colleague Jack Leach.
Liam Dawson has emerged as another spinning alternative following his comeback to international cricket at the age of 35, but McCullum qualified such a possibility by reminding people of the pecking order.
'Never say never to anyone. We're pretty happy with how our spinner is going. Shoaib Bashir has been outstanding since he's come in.
'To take to Test cricket like he has at such a young age with a pretty tough scheduling. He's been brilliant but the door is not shut on anyone,' said McCullum.
England have made a habit of investing in players at the other end of the career spectrum in the three years of the Bazball era and that will continue next week when Eddie Jack, the 6ft 4ins Hampshire pace bowler who is yet to make a County Championship appearance, joins up with Ben Stokes' squad.
Jack, 19, was notified of his inclusion on Monday, the final day of England Lions' draw with India A at Northampton, by Andrew Flintoff.
Ben Stokes' side will take on India at Headingley in the first of a five Test series this summer
Having taken five wickets in a 13-a-side match against the Zimbabweans earlier this summer, he impressed with his pace and bounce in his first two outings as a first-class player, against opponents that will feature for India in the five-match series.
His four victims included Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul and although he travels to Leeds on Monday primarily to experience the environment and bowl in the nets, England have made a habit of fast tracking in recent years, following Bashir's ascent by picking Leicestershire left-armer Josh Hull.
Josh Tongue picked up a niggle at Wantage Road, but McCullum dismissed any notion that Jack was a replacement for him, saying: 'He landed in a foot hole a bit funny but he's okay.
'Great that he got some cricket under his belt. We're in a good spot with the talent available.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Cristian Romero appears to take swipe at Tottenham ownership over Ange Postecoglou sacking - just minutes after Thomas Frank was announced
Cristian Romero appeared to take a swipe at the Tottenham ownership with an Instagram post shared just minutes after the club announced Thomas Frank as the new manager. After Spurs confirmed the ex-Brentford boss as Ange Postecoglou 's replacement, Romero took to social media to lament the sacking of the Australian. He wrote: 'Ange, thank you for these two incredible seasons. You're a fantastic coach, but above all, a great person who deserves the best. 'From day one you paved the way despite the many obstacles that always existed and always will exist. 'Beyond everything, we won a trophy and went down in the history of this beautiful club, which is the only thing that matters. 'I wish you the best because you deserve the best, and thank you for everything.' Romero's line about the 'many obstacles that always existed and always will exist' appeared to be a thinly-veiled dig at Daniel Levy and Co. They chose to part ways with Postecoglou almost two weeks after he had led Spurs to their first silverware in 17 years by winning the Europa League final. Most of the Spurs squad have paid tribute to their departed manager, who remains immensely popular with the group despite the 17th-place finish in the Premier League. Frank will now have to motivate the same kind of feeling towards himself among players who adored the Australian, which could be no easy task. Romero's remarks cast further doubt on his future and he could leave for the right price this summer. The Argentine is of interest to Atletico Madrid but Spurs would only consider selling their centre-back for in excess of £60million. After the Europa League final win, Postecoglou had said: 'He (Romero) is a winner. You saw that in all the big games we've had and the lads certainly respect him very highly. 'He makes them walk a bit taller, so yeah from my perspective it is a no-brainer that making sure players like him (stay). 'If he goes, who do you replace him with? There is not too many out there like him.' Frank will now have to attempt to convince him his future still lies in north London despite Postecoglou no longer being at the helm.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
'Sharky'-led SDS win first Baller League UK title
LONDON, June 12 (Reuters) - Six-a-side team SDS FC, managed by online infuencer "Sharky". won the UK's inaugural Baller League on Thursday, beating MVPs United 4-2 in the final at London's O2 arena in a burgeoning new tournament that shakes up soccer's traditional format. SDS dominated the first half, roaring into a 4-1 lead in the game, which includes special rules such as "Plus One" that briefly cuts the teams to one-versus-one plus goalkeepers. TV host Maya Jama's MVPs cut the deficit by one goal in the second period, but were unable to mount a serious comeback in front of thousands of fans inside the arena and many more watching online, including 100,000 on YouTube. "It means everything ... I always believed," said "Sharky", whose real name is Sharmarke Mohamud, in a pitchside interview. "Being a champion just feels amazing," added SDS player David Marques Castanho, who got on the scoresheet. SDS reached the final by defeating Deportrio while MVPs overcame Yanited FC in 30-minute games played earlier on Thursday in the UK's "Baller League Final Four". The tournament was founded in Germany in 2023, where games were first played in an airport hangar, expanded to the UK this year and is also set to launch in the United States. A Spanish-founded similar format, called the Kings League, is also growing rapidly, even though traditionalists scoff at the games as a gimmicky distortion of pure football.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Baller League Legends ratings: John Arne Riise and Balotelli shine but Arsenal cult hero gets a 1/10
MOUSSA DEMBELE is perhaps best known for being the toughest opponent your favourite player has ever faced - or the player who was the best any ex-Spurs star has ever seen. So when he was announced to be playing at the O2 Arena alongside Mario Balotelli, Ravel Morrison and John Arne Riise, fans came flocking. 6 The former pros lined up against KSI, Chunkz, George Clarkey and more in what was a spectacular Legends vs Influencers match decided by Niko Omilana missing a crucial penalty. SunSport's LLOYD CANFIELD rated the legendary players performances… JENS LEHMANN - 1 Unfortunately age catches up with all of us, and it seems to have done so with once-invincible goalkeeper. Failed to stop a number of shots that he got a hand to, but the 55-year-old was simply too slow to react to most of them - though one admittedly was a screamer from EmanSV2. PASCAL CHIMBONDA - 5 Didn't blow any minds with his performance, but wasn't really poor either. Pretty standard showing from the Barclaysman defender who would've been a blast from the past for most watching. 6 JOHN ARNE RIISE - 10 Wow! He's still got that left foot rocket in his locker, let's just say that. Hit the crossbar with a thunderbolt from range which alerted the keeper, before crashing home a screamer in the dying moments to level the scoring and send the game to penalties. Textbook Riise - Liverpool can save themselves a pretty penny on signing Milos Kerkez and just bring this beast back instead. LUKE CHAMBERS - 5 Much the same as Pascal Chimbonda, Chambers didn't really stand out what so ever and was largely overshadowed by the bigger names on the pitch. Mostly forgettable. JAY-JAY OKOCHA - 7 Scored a classy header that was unfortunately ruled out by the referee, it was the same Okocha we saw against Arsenal all those years ago - just much older. A legend of the game who still gave it his all and tried to entertain the crowd with a few silky touches and delicate passes. Didn't have the pace or engine he once possessed, but still impressed overall. MOUSSA DEMBELE - 9 The man of the moment looked like he still had it, running the show in the middle of the park for his time. You could still see echoes of the player he once was, impossible to get the ball away from and such a powerful presence with the ball at his feet. Dominated for large parts of the game and still had the silky feet and ability to pick a pass that he always had. 6 RAVEL MORRISON - 5 The ex- Manchester United wonderkid probably would've had a better rating were it not for the brilliance either side of him. Good on the ball and came close with a header that was flicked towards goal. Didn't blow anyone's socks off, but it was a solid performance from the former Red Devil. LEE TRUNDLE - 4 The highlight of his showing was sending KSI tumbling to the floor after a collision, but it must be said he gave it his all pulling off some of his trademark skills. The Football League cult hero was an entertaining watch, but didn't seem to have the end product or cutting edge he needed to get the better of the Influencer defenders all that often. MARIO BALOTELLI - 8 The man that most were excited to see, it was just a pleasure to see Super Mario back on the pitch with a ball at his feet. The ex- Liverpool and Manchester City striker still had a bit too, with some silky touches and passes, and a goal to boot! There was no trademark celebration or boasting from a man who has clearly matured since his playing days - but a showing more reminiscent of a classy Italian midfielder. Stuck around and took pictures with fans and players alike, which was lovely to see.
