Bethell 'destined for greatness' as IPL stint trumps Zimbabwe Test call-up

A decision that would have provoked outrage a decade ago was met with a shrug of the shoulders on Friday: an England player missing a Test match due to their involvement in the IPL. Jacob Bethell scored half-centuries in each of England's last three Tests, shortly after his 21st birthday, but did not feature in the squad named to face Zimbabwe on May 22.

After crossed wires last year prompted short-notice withdrawals from the play-offs and frustration from franchises, the ECB have honoured a commitment to the BCCI that England players will be fully available. The result is that Bethell will be with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in India as they push for a maiden title, rather than batting at No. 3 at Trent Bridge.

England's decision not to pull Bethell out of the IPL early reflects the realpolitik of world cricket, and the status of a one-off Test against Zimbabwe. To do so would have undermined the ECB's relationship with the BCCI - at a time when Indian investment in English cricket is being finalised - while unfairly placing him in the eye of a storm. Pragmatism has won the day.

Bethell's absence has also deferred a tricky call for England's management, which will now wait until their series against India in mid-June. "You want your best players always available, don't you?" Luke Wright, the national selector, said. "But he's an outstanding cricketer… He's ticking along really well [at the IPL] and we're excited to have him back in the summer."

Wright said that he has been "in close contact" with RCB's management this season to check on Bethell's progress, and has received positive reports from head coach Andy Flower and director of cricket Mo Bobat - both of whom used to work at the ECB. "To get that experience to even open the batting with Virat Kohli… what an experience that is," Wright said.

He's destined for greatness. I think England have a genuine superstar in the making and selfishly, as RCB, we're very happy to have bought him slightly earlier in the cycleMalolan Rangarajan, RCB's lead spin-bowling coach

Bethell's first appearance of the season, against Delhi Capitals on Sunday, was as full-on as it gets: walking out to delirious cheers for his opening partner, and facing a new-ball attack of Axar Patel and Mitchell Starc. He slog-swept his sixth ball to deep backward square, but in whipping a six and a four over the leg side of Starc, Bethell gave the IPL a glimpse of his quality.

On Test debut in New Zealand, Bethell earned as much praise for his first-innings 10 as for his second-innings half-century: the scorecard alone did not reflect the impression he made while seeing off probing new-ball spells from Matt Henry and Tim Southee. In the same vein, his 12 on Sunday was only a footnote in RCB's win, but still made an impression on those who saw it.

Starc offered a wry smile after both of Bethell's boundaries. "We were laughing about it at breakfast," Alyssa Healy, the Australia women's captain and Starc's wife, said on the Willow Talk podcast. "Mitch said, 'I executed! That ball was top of off. That's exactly what I was told to bowl.' And he's gone for six over backward square… This kid is an absolute gun."

Bobat first encountered Bethell as a 14-year-old playing in the prestigious Bunbury Festival; Bobat was working as the ECB's player identification lead, and Bethell, playing with boys a year older than him, was named player of the week. Six years later, he signed him for INR 2.6 crore (£250,000 approx.) at the IPL's mega-auction.

"Everyone in England probably knows that he is going to be one of England's brightest stars over the next five-to-ten years, across formats," Bobat told ESPNcricinfo in Delhi. "To secure a player at the value we did of that potential in year one of an auction cycle is brilliant. I'll be amazed if he's not featuring more regularly [for RCB] over the next few years.

"He's way beyond his years. He's 21 years old, but you wouldn't know it: he may as well be 30. He's very calm, very professional, and incredibly driven. He's soaking in everything that the IPL - and RCB - is providing him: there's some big players here that he is watching, observing, and learning from."

Chief among those is Kohli, Bethell's opening partner on Sunday night. "Virat's brilliant around our practice environment, brilliant with the younger lads," Bobat said. "We've paired them up batting together [in the nets] at times too. He's spent a huge amount of time with him."

When England toured India earlier this year, Bethell found himself getting stuck against spin. He has worked closely with Flower and Dinesh Karthik, RCB's batting coach: "He's working really hard on his game against spin, which for most English players is an important work-on," Bobat said. "He's opening up different scoring areas now."

He has been encouraged to develop his own left-arm spin by England, working with Malolan Rangarajan, RCB's lead spin-bowling coach. "He has been unbelievable with his work," Rangarajan said. "He's destined for greatness. I think England have a genuine superstar in the making and selfishly, as RCB, we're very happy to have bought him slightly earlier in the cycle."

Bethell may find himself running the drinks again when RCB play Chennai Super Kings on Saturday, with Phil Salt set to return from the illness which vacated an overseas spot. He would have played more cricket if he had spent April and May with Warwickshire, but it is abundantly clear that being in India has helped Bethell's all-round development.

"If he was playing in England right now, of course he'd be developing his red-ball game… But what he's getting out here is a proper feel for the premier white-ball competition in the world," Bobat said. "I can say this, having been on both sides of the fence: English cricket likes to pit Championship cricket against the IPL. I don't believe it needs to be an either/or."