Jacob Bethell, the 22-year-old spare batter for England’s squad, faced a challenging outing during the two-day pink-ball warm-up match against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra. Bethell was one of three players released to participate in the fixture, which aimed to prepare the Lions for upcoming matches. His performance at least failed to strengthen his case for a place in England’s Test side.
Batting at number three, Bethell had an ideal chance to take advantage of a clear free-scoring batting surface. Hameed started with intent, hitting Siddle for two boundaries through the offside in his first two overs faced. His campaign ultimately ended in a disappointing defeat at the hands of Campbell Thompson. Now he’s stuck with what-if scenarios. This turned out dismissal compounded the disappointment in Bethell’s recent run of form. Since he departed the UK in early November he has only passed fifty runs on one occasion in nine innings in all formats.
Although Bethell’s batting form was faltering in this Test, he could still make significant contributions with the ball. Bowled 16 overs of excellent control and pace, though he took no wickets. His fielding misfortunes were magnified by two dropped catches, adding to a brutal day at the office for the influential maestro.
The game finished with the England Lions sealing an eight-wicket win against the Prime Minister’s XI. And judging by the reaction of the player who had arguably the biggest impact on that victory, that unified teamwork is legitimate.
“That was a great performance from all of the lads. We haven’t played a lot of pink-ball cricket between us but that didn’t show in the way we played,” – Tom Haines
Haines also reflected on his personal contributions, stating,
“It was good to chip in with the ball and then to make some runs myself. The bowlers turned it around last night and then all our batters showed their quality to reach that target.” – Tom Haines
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