The England cricket team is all set to face New Zealand from June 4 for a three-match Test series. Ahead of that, the Three Lions have been doing their training at the Loughborough camp.
After the devastating Ashes defeat against the arch-rival Australia, England has vowed to make a strong comeback in the format. To make a strong case by performing well against the Blackcaps, some of the key players also skipped the Indian Premier League.
Jacob Bethell injured himself in the IPL 2026 season
Despite the attempt to protect the key players from extra workload, Jacob Bethell, who went to play the IPL 2026 season for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), injured himself and was ruled out for the remaining part of the league. Bethell was ruled out of the remainder of the 2026 IPL season after sustaining a left ring finger injury.
He has returned to the UK to be assessed by the England medical staff ahead of the first Test against New Zealand. Jacob is in the plains of England and the Wales Cricket Board (ECB) heavily for the New Zealand Test series, as he is considered a prominent number 3 batter for the format.
He scored an unbeaten 142 runs off 229 balls against Australia during the fifth and final Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in January 2026, after which his spot in the line-up was solidified.
Will Bethell play vs New Zealand?
It is not sure whether Bethell will be able to take part against the Kiwis as the board is still monitoring the situation. If Jacob Bethelle remains injured and unavailable to play, then who will join the playing XI and play as the number 3 batter? The questions have been doing the rounds around the England cricket camp.
James Rew is there with the camp in Loughborough, who can play in the middle-order, but can he play as a number three batter? There are doubts. As per current reports, the board wants to keep its eyes on Jacob Bethell until the end before finalizing the playing combination.
Current injury status of Jacob Bethell
The injury to Bethell pushed the head coach, Brendon McCullum, and the skipper Ben Stokes into a challenging situation. A medical report is yet to come. The report can provide a hint at Bethell's chances of facing New Zealand for the Tests.
“Minimum disruption is the name of the game. For that reason, it means Rew, if Bethell’s scan results are worse than feared, would likely be picked at three,” iNews reported on the morning of May 26.
“England remain confident he will be fit for the first Test of the summer that starts on Thursday week,” mentioned further.
Emilio Gay is all set to become the new opener for England in these contests. Now, if Jacob Bethell goes out of the equation, then they will have to name Rew in the playing eleven. Which means two debutants can be placed in the top three of the batting order.
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