Not the coming man much longer - Bethell set for 'very long England career'

There are a fewer reasons why Jacob Bethell mightiness not person been playing for England successful nan first one-day world against West Indies astatine Edgbaston.

First, and astir obviously, nan boy calved successful Barbados could person rather easy been successful maroon alternatively of royal blue, successful nan distant dressing room alternatively than connected his location crushed for Warwickshire.

He mightiness person remained astatine nan rescheduled Indian Premier League (IPL), his Royal Challengers Bengaluru broadside marching to nan last immoderate 4,000 miles distant successful Chandigarh. Virat Kohli and each that.

In a short world career, nan 21-year-old has regularly made waves. Once again he showed why he is simply a origin of truthful overmuch hype. Bethell's 82 from 53 balls does thing to quieten nan statement astir his inclusion successful nan Test team.

This was nan left-hander's England comeback, a first location quality since impressing successful his debut Test bid successful New Zealand, a first world since a hamstring wounded ruled him retired of nan Champions Trophy. It says overmuch astir Bethell's increasing stature that he was truthful severely missed successful specified an atrocious campaign.

There was nan kerfuffle complete his non-availability for nan Zimbabwe Test. Bethell was nan only existent personnel of nan Test squad to play successful nan IPL, alternatively than move up astatine Trent Bridge. There are immoderate who based on he made nan incorrect choice, particularly aft caller white-ball skipper Harry Brook pulled retired of his woody pinch Delhi Capitals.

In Bethell's defence, he was picked up by Bengaluru earlier his Test debut and would surely person taken proposal from England coach Brendon McCullum and Test skipper Ben Stokes, 2 men well-versed successful nan IPL.

More broadly, location are howls of derision erstwhile England get thumped successful a limited-overs tournament, aliases are clueless erstwhile it comes to batting against and bowling spin. There is simply a T20 World Cup successful India and Sri Lanka early adjacent year.

Bethell will person learned an immeasurable magnitude from sharing a dressing room pinch an all-time awesome for illustration Kohli, playing nether a coach for illustration Andy Flower and opening nan batting against Mitchell Starc, who called him "an absolute gun".

Speaking to BBC Test Match Special, Bethell said: "I was ever going to beryllium successful nan IPL aft I signed that contract. I watched nan boys do good from afar and really enjoyed it.

"Virat was great. He was happy to stock tons of proposal pinch maine and Andy Flower was a awesome coach, too. I felt nan power erstwhile I went retired to bat pinch Virat and that is thing I will return into my game, that intensity."

In Nottingham, Bethell was nan communicative without being there. However Stokes chose to rotation it, his "put 2 and 2 together" comments were ambiguous astatine champion and clumsy astatine worst. The captain's wound backmost astatine nan media astir apt confirmed that Bethell will beryllium successful nan squad for nan first Test against India, but not nan XI.

At Edgbaston, Bethell was nan header act. The time could person been astir caller skipper Brook aliases erstwhile skipper Jos Buttler. Bethell showed he is England's superstar-in-waiting.

His innings was 1 of patience, poise and pizzazz. He mightiness person been unsettled by a comparatively slow commencement of 11 from 19 deliveries, aliases rattled by a clonk connected nan caput from Alzarri Joseph.

Instead he eased done nan gears and looked nailed connected for a first 100 successful elder master cricket earlier losing nan onslaught towards nan extremity of nan England innings.

When West Indies dropped short, Bethell snapped into swivel pulls, nan shot disappearing into nan stands. When nan visitors past tried to hide nan shot extracurricular disconnected stump, he surgically dissected nan section pinch off-drives. There was nan brutality of slaps down nan crushed and feature of reverse-scoops.

England person talked up Bethell's imaginable arsenic a left-arm spinner and erstwhile Jamie Overton needed curen connected a digit injury, Bethell was called upon successful nan powerplay. He snared chap protégé Jewel Andrew, acknowledgment to Brook's flying catch.

Whatever Stokes said aliases meant to opportunity astatine Trent Bridge, he yet confirmed nan conflict for a spot successful nan Test broadside is betwixt Bethell and Ollie Pope.

England person plentifulness of justification for sticking pinch Pope. He has conscionable made a century, is Stokes' vice-captain, has a bully grounds astatine number 3 and has been consenting to beryllium versatile complete nan past 12 months. Bethell is simply a beardown action to clasp successful reserve successful lawsuit Pope aliases Zak Crawley struggle, England consciousness they don't request Shoaib Bashir arsenic a frontline spinner aliases different wounded hits Stokes.

On nan different hand, England nether Stokes and McCullum person not shirked large action decisions. Alex Lees, Jack Leach, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Foakes were each moved connected erstwhile they mightiness person had logic to deliberation they had not done a awesome woody wrong.

Further back, successful nan build-up nan 2005 Ashes, possibly nan past clip erstwhile a play of Test cricket felt truthful defining for an England team, they were faced pinch a determination betwixt nan precocious Graham Thorpe and Kevin Pietersen.

Thorpe had conscionable reached 100 Test caps and his shape was solid. Captain Michael Vaughan went for nan flair of nan uncapped Pietersen. The remainder is history.

Perhaps it does not matter erstwhile England determine to propulsion nan trigger connected Bethell's Test inclusion. It will travel sooner aliases later.

"He's a assured lad," said Brook. "He knows he's a bully subordinate and we each cognize he's an exceptional player. He's going to person a very agelong England profession if he keeps connected batting nan measurement he does.

"He brings truthful overmuch to a side, he tin vessel and section arsenic well. To person a subordinate for illustration him successful our side, for him to only beryllium 21 and play nan measurement he is, he's only going to spell upwards if he keeps moving difficult connected his game."

Bethell will not beryllium England's coming man for long. An presence is due.