Marcus Trescothick is confident that Jacob Bethell can make the grade in Test cricket and believes it is only a matter of time before the youngster breaks into the England team.
Bethell has impressed since being drafted into the white-ball team at the end of the summer, hitting 20 off five balls against Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa and collecting three fifties in the Caribbean.
The 21-year-old has had little time to review the mess of the past few months after he was surprisingly selected as batting cover for the three Tests in New Zealand, starting in Christchurch on November 28.
Despite a modest average of 25.44 in 20 first-class outings, Trescothick has no doubts that Bethell will succeed if given the chance against the Black Caps. He likened his aptitude at the highest level to England all-format star Harry Brook. 3rd in the world in Test batting average.
all properties
“All the attributes are there,” Trescothick said. “’If there’s a sign to go in the right direction, this is what you should do. If you say, ‘This is what you need to do,’ he’ll knock on the door for it.
“Obviously he’s next in line for the next trip. There is no reason why he cannot break through and be successful as he has been successful in both (white-ball) formats that we have seen recently.
“If he gets the opportunity there, it will be interesting to see what he can do when he gets there.
“I think we’ll see him grow next to Harry Brooke. He’s a really exciting character for the next journey they take on.”
Trescothick will be linked with New Zealand’s Bethell as he looks to return to his day job as one of Brendon McCullum’s Test assistants after completing his interim white-ball manager’s job.
The former England opener won one of his four series with a 3-1 T20 win over West Indies in the Caribbean last week after McCullum was tasked with overseeing the white-ball reset before incorporating a coaching role for the new series. . Year.
building depth
While Bethell took center stage, Dan Mousley, John Turner and Jamie Overton also showed promise, but Liam Livingstone has breathed new life into his career. Saqib Mahmood’s availability for 2022 and 2023 has been hampered by back-to-back spinal fractures.
“Of course, the balance is that you have to try to win every game because at the end of the day you always want to win,” Trescothick said. “But I think we have more depth now.
“The most important thing was to get the game into the hands of the players, expose them to a high-pressure environment when the best players weren’t there, and make sure they were good enough to perform.”
Fast bowler Jofra Archer has won another three ODIs and three T20s against the West Indies and his Test return in mid-2025 is still on track.
“I hope he gets back for every bit of cricket he can play, including Test matches,” Trescothick said. “He is world class and would suit any team England play.
“I don’t think it’s possible right now. “We will continue to monitor and see where we go with him and hope to get the best from him.”
Meanwhile, England’s white-ball coaching structure is in trouble following the announcement that assistants Carl Hopkinson and Richard Dawson had left their positions before McCollum took charge.
Trescothick recently admitted that he would like to be England manager one day.
Read more: Jos Buttler wants Ben Stokes and Joe Root to return to England’s white-ball plans
