Jacob Bethell has responded to criticism over his lack of appearances in the Indian Premier League as former England captain Sir Alastair Cook asked him to consider a return to county cricket.
Bethel’s century in the final Test in Sydney in January was the belated high point of England’s disastrous Ashes tour, and his astonishing 105 in the T20 World Cup semi-final against India in March cemented his star status.
However, this is only his latest appearance as he did not qualify for the Royal Challengers Bangalore team.
He has watched six IPL matches from the sidelines so far, with head coach Andy Flower naming England team-mates Phil Salt, Tim David, Romario Shepherd and Josh Hazlewood as potential overseas players.
The 22-year-old is currently facing a similar situation to last season. That time, IPL duties prevented them from furthering the cause at the start of the domestic campaign and ultimately they were unable to overtake Ollie Pope in the top order until Ashes had already been lost.
Cook said Bethel should consider returning to county cricket with Warwickshire rather than “sitting around doing nothing” in the Indian Premier League.
Speaking on the latest Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, Bethell said: “I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way.
“Personally, I think last year saw us come to the end of the India series in a bit of a simmer because we didn’t play cricket for a while, but that was a learning experience for me to stay positive.
Jacob Bethel will play in the IPL with Royal Challengers Bengaluru again this year (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
“But actually, if you look at my situation last year when I came back from the IPL, I flew out and played in the West Indies series and I feel like I’m in a similar position now.
“After the World Cup, I feel better now than I did a month ago because of spending time with the players here and being involved in the pure standard of cricket in India and the IPL.
“I don’t think a lot of people realize how great it is until they come here and actually participate in the team and the tournament.
“It’s a completely different feel. Because of the size of the tournament, it feels like everyone is raising their game subconsciously, almost unconsciously.”
“I feel like that happens even when you’re not in the starting eleven or in the starting eleven, which is the case with impact players now.”
Cook: Bethell can be opened on the test side
England opener Ben Duckett recently released his contract with Derry Capitals and played for Nottinghamshire to strengthen his Test quota, but Bethel’s bid for an early exit seems a long way off.
RCB are well placed in the table and have already reached an agreement with the England and Wales Cricket Board for player acquisitions.
Cook feels Bethel showed Down Under that he can answer England’s problems in the opening game. Zak Crawley certainly looks set to make way for the opening game, but I’m worried he won’t be able to play any cricket.
Cook said on the Stick to Cricket podcast: “I watched the top order batting, the way they played against that attack in Sydney, the way they played in those conditions, I watched the players there and I’m confident this player can open. If he can bat for three, he can open.”
“(But) it’s not ideal, isn’t it? That’s not how Bethel should be, because he hasn’t played an opener. He’s been sitting on a chair doing nothing in the IPL. Ideally, he could come back to Warwickshire and have an opener to help England.”
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Jacob Bethel hit this massive six against Nepal in the T20 World Cup, completing his half-century in just 28 balls.
But Bethel, who earns around £250,000 from his IPL contract, says there is pressure even in non-match net sessions in India.
“You have hundreds of eyes looking at you, coaches and other players looking at you saying, ‘Is this player good or not?’ There were people in the crowd who made phone calls.
“I think you’re exposed to a lot of things.
“You might not get as much time in the midfield as playing four rounds in the County Championship, but I think that’s going to be very important for me personally going forward in terms of my ability to actually continue to do what I want to do when there’s so much attention on me.”
“Also, we’re now scheduled to have scrimmages when we’re not playing. We know it’s not the same as an actual game, but it feels like the whole team is working together, so we’re taking timeouts in the middle.”
“They know it’s going to be a team effort, a team effort to win trophies again. And Coxe (England international Jordan Cox) can’t just sit there thinking about what’s going on on the sidelines.
“But the bottom line is, I don’t think there’s a right way. I strongly believe this is what I need to do right now.”
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Jacob Bethel insists his first England Test hundred is ‘definitely coming’ after scoring 142 not out on day four against Australia in Sydney
Bethel: I want to stay in third place.
Bethel’s sublime unbeaten 142 at the Sydney Cricket Ground was one of the few highlights of England’s 4-1 Ashes defeat over the winter.
Following his performance in Sydney, in just his sixth Test, he was hailed by manager Cook as “the future of English cricket”, but there is debate over whether Bethel should be promoted as the opening batsman, which would also open up a spot for Somerset wicketkeeper-batsman James Lew in the squad.
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Jacob Bethell told The Cricket Podcast that he wants to “establish himself at three years old” but would be happy to open up for England if necessary.
However, Bethel said, “If it were up to me, I would love to stay in third place. I really like this position.”
“I don’t think there’s a big difference between third place and first place.
“A player like Rooty (Joe Root) had to start as a first batsman and then sit at number four. So if they want me to do that, I’m happy to do it.”
“But I like the three and would like to solidify that place as mine if possible.”
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Manager Nasser Hussain said after the fourth Ashes Test that England would regret not starting the series with Jacob Bethel.
Prior to his Sydney heroics, Bethel said he had “quite a lot of faith” in his performance for England, despite question marks over his lack of a century as a professional cricketer.
“Obviously there was a lot of talk about not being in the top hundred or whatever, but I never really paid attention to that.
“I felt like I always played better against better opponents and that shows a little bit in the fact that I like playing against great teams and I like playing against good bowlers.
“If you look at his 300 (his first international appearance in both ODIs and T20s), you’ll think, ‘That was great.’ But there are some thin spots there.
“Last year we didn’t have the best summer in England and then we finished with 100 points and then we had a low score in New Zealand before the Ashes series and we were actually a bit off.
“From the outside you might say it’s been smooth sailing, but it was good to learn how to deal with ups and downs and actually spending a year on the road.
“It’s great to have some great moments, but it just makes me hungry for more.”
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