Jacob Bethell has got something very special: Stokes praises England Test debutant

NZ vs ENG: England skipper Ben Stokes backed Jacob Bethell's selection saying that the Three Lions picked him after taking into account all factors. Bethell will make his Test debut at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

In Short

• Jacob Bethell will make his Test debut in Christchurch
• Bethell has already played ODIs and T20Is for England
• Bethell has played 20 first-class matches

Ben Stokes backed Jacob Bethell’s selection for England’s opening Test against New Zealand, starting November 28 at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. Earlier, the Three Lions named their playing XI and handed Bethell his maiden Test cap. Bethell also became the first English batter since Mike Gatting in 1978 to make his Test debut without a first-class hundred to his name.

Stokes said that England picked Bethell in their playing XI, keeping in mind the skills he has. The skipper mentioned that including the left-hander in the team wasn’t a shot in the dark and rather a decision that the English team management took after taking into account all factors.

"I mean, you can totally understand it. But you've got to be true to yourself when you get given the opportunity to be able to make decisions. We've always done what we feel is right for the team. It's gone in our favour quite a lot. So, I think we do know what we're doing. There is thought and there is process towards it, even if it does raise a few eyebrows. We're not picking people just to wind people up,” Stokes said.

Bethell made his international debut in the T20I series on the tour of England, after which he also played in the ODIs. In 15 matches for the Three Lions thus far, Bethell has scored three half-centuries with a top score of 62 not out.

"He's an incredibly talented kid. I think when you look at someone like Jacob, you can just see the ceiling that he has. I remember watching the one-day series. I think it was [Josh] Hazlewood; he bowled him a full ball and got smacked off the front foot, and then he got tested out, like right there, and then whacked it,” he said.

"Just those tiny little things where you see that there is something very special there. I'm looking forward to him getting going this week,” Stokes added.

Bethell has a reasonable first-class record, having scored 738 runs from 20 games at an average of 25.44 with five fifties and a top score of 93.