England newcomer Jacob Bethell received a double dose of good news on Wednesday, keeping his place for the second Test against New Zealand and landing a two-year central contract.
Bethell made an unplanned Test debut in last week’s series-opening win in Christchurch – only coming into consideration after Jordan Cox broke a thumb in practice – and ended the match with an ebullient, unbeaten 50 at number three.
England have opted to retain a winning formula for the follow-up in Wellington, meaning Ollie Pope’s temporary stint as stand-in wicketkeeper continues despite the arrival of Durham’s Ollie Robinson as specialist cover.
And, having secured his spot for the next few days, 21-year-old Bethell has also persuaded the England and Wales Cricket Board tie up his longer-term future.
Less than six weeks after announcing a new raft of player deals, the ECB has upgraded Bethell from a low-key developmental contract to a more lucrative retainer that runs until October 2026. Breakout pace prospect Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts and Jofra Archer, who hopes to make his long-awaited Test comeback next year, have also had their terms upgraded from one year to two.
Outlining his decision to keep faith with the XI that produced a comprehensive eight-wicket success at Hagley Oval, captain Ben Stokes said: “There was a conversation (about Robinson coming in) but we’ve looked back at that game and the whole team set-up and make up looked really good.
“We like the whole make up of the team and I think everyone who played last week put in a performance at some point that helped us win. We had all bases covered from a bowling point of view and our batting line-up was really deep with Brydon coming in at 10.
“Popey did an amazing job behind the stumps last week that was unnoticed and I thought he played an important role down at number six. We were really happy with that performance so let’s go and build on it.”
The appearance of Archer’s name on the list of new contract extensions is notable, given his previous agreement would have expired before England’s Ashes tour next winter.
The seamer, who has long been viewed as a potential difference maker Down Under only for persistent injury problems to blight his red-ball career, is now fully signed up.
And Stokes has revealed the 29-year-old, who has been carefully managed back into the limited-overs setup after long-running back and elbow problems, is starting to think about his long-form comeback.
England play a marquee series against India next summer as well as a one-off against Zimbabwe in May. Archer will not be able to play in the latter after being picked up by Rajasthan Royals in the recent IPL auction, but the idea had seemingly crossed his mind.
“Jof is a man of few words, even over WhatsApp. I had one a couple of months ago saying ‘Zimabwbe?’. That shows he is very interested in playing Test cricket for England,” said Stokes.
“The excitement is understandable around Jofra. The best thing is he is back on the field playing. I am sure he thought he might not have the chance to put on an England shirt again – the injuries and surgeries he has gone through could have ended other people’s career – so there is no rushing back.
“He is being handled very well by the ECB and that will certainly continue. There is no doubt he is going so well at the moment it is a case of having to build the body up to handle extra pressure of Test match cricket.”
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