Ashes 2025: Could Jacob Bethell force England’s hand with more runs in white-ball cricket?

The question now is what England will do next with their “incredible talent”.

First he will play South Africa and Ireland in T20s and then New Zealand across six white-ball matches before heading to Australia.

Bethell scored a century in an under-19 Test in Brisbane in 2023, averages 75 against deliveries registered as back-of-a-length (the Australian staple) across his full international career and scores freely behind square against the quicks, seemingly making him ideal for batting down under.

Such a style helped Yashasvi Jaiswal score 161 in his first Test in Australia last winter.

The frequency Bethell is attacking spin is also only matched by Travis Head – and England need no reminding how the Australian left-hander goes on the pitches they will face.

Despite his inconsistencies, England are loyal to Pope, and Bethell himself seems to have accepted his fate.

“I don’t know if these runs mean anything, but I don’t think they can hurt,” he admitted. “If the opportunity arises, I’ll hopefully be there to take it.”

There are doubters too – those yet to be convinced he is unequivocally the future of the team.

“He hasn’t played enough for me to see in both first-class and Test cricket to say 100% he is going to be the next red-ball cricketer,” said former England captain Alastair Cook.

“I don’t think he knows how to play red-ball cricket as well as he knows how to play white-ball cricket.”

Ex-England spinner Vic Marks added: “The technique is there but what you want, to have for more confidence in him, is to witness him batting for four or five hours, which you need to do in Test cricket to have a really big impact on a game.

“We sort of assume he can but it would be reassuring for him to have the opportunity to bat for a day, or even two sessions.”

England dropped Graham Thorpe for Kevin Pietersen for a highly anticipated Ashes series in 2005, but a repeat still appears far off.

More runs for Bethell will certainly mean more note-making and just maybe a decision made that bit harder…