England have received an encouraging injury update ahead of the first Test against New Zealand, with Jacob Bethell expected to be fit to feature at Lord's. The 22-year-old left-hander had been a doubt after returning early from the Indian Premier League with a finger injury, but following assessment at a training camp in Loughborough, England have confirmed he should be able to resume duties at number three.
Bethell's Return Bolsters Top Order
Bethell's availability is a significant boost to a top order that is already set to include one debutant: Durham's Emilio Gay, who is primed to open alongside Ben Duckett. Had Bethell been ruled out, James Rew was the likely beneficiary, though the wicketkeeper-batter typically bats in the middle order for Somerset. Bethell made a superb Ashes hundred at Sydney in his last Test outing, underlining his value to the side.
McCullum Defends Absence
England head coach Brendon McCullum has defended his decision to only return to the United Kingdom in the last week, insisting he has been closely monitoring the County Championship. McCullum revealed he underwent a couple of operations in his native New Zealand during his break, which came after a demanding winter that included both the Ashes and a T20 World Cup. He faced criticism from figures including Michael Vaughan, but McCullum explained that the break was necessary.
“I’ve been able to have a little break after what was quite a demanding time,” McCullum said in an in-house interview released by the ECB. “I’m very lucky that, when [England managing director Rob Key] offered me the full-time role with the white-ball teams as well as the Test one, he was very mindful of the fact there would be a lot of demands with the schedule and that I had a young family. There would be times when I needed to be at home.”
He added: “I’ve been on the road for 25 years so I’m not unaccustomed to the demands of touring, but it is important at times to take your breaks, refresh a bit and get ready for an exciting summer ahead. I watched quite a lot of the County Championship. The way it is these days there’s a huge system behind the England’s men side that feeds information into us. It is almost impossible to be at every game now when you’re on the road for 10 months a year. I’ve been across most of the matches and I’ve seen a huge amount of talent in the English game.”
New Zealand Fitness Concerns
New Zealand, meanwhile, are fretting over the fitness of their attack leader Matt Henry after the seamer was ruled out of the one-off Test against Ireland in Belfast with a hamstring issue. Henry, who has suffered a low-grade strain, has joined up with fellow New Zealand fast bowlers Will O'Rourke and Kyle Jamieson in London ahead of the Lord's Test, which begins on 4 June.
