Michael Vaughan, the former England cricket captain, has called for Jacob Bethell to return home immediately after the young batter sustained a finger injury while playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Vaughan believes Bethell should prioritise his fitness for England's upcoming Test series against New Zealand over his stint with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Injury scare for Bethell
Bethell, 22, was absent from RCB's defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday, with captain Rajat Patidar confirming a finger injury. RCB have not disclosed the severity of the issue, but the timing raises concerns as England's first Test of the summer against New Zealand is less than two weeks away. Bethell is expected to bat at number three for England after scoring a superb century in the Ashes final at Sydney in January.
Vaughan's advice
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Vaughan said: "If Jacob Bethell's injured, he should be on the next plane home to England. He should be back on a plane, making sure that England have a look at him. If he has one, I would think he's better off back in the UK getting assessed."
Bethell has played seven of RCB's 14 games this season, with a top score of 27, and is not a guaranteed pick for the play-offs. With Virat Kohli opening, Venkatesh Iyer scoring 44 as Bethell's replacement, and Phil Salt returning from injury, his playing time may be limited.
England's preparation
Bethell is already due to miss England's training camp in Loughborough next week due to RCB's IPL play-off involvement. Vaughan added: "I'm a bit old school; they'll say he's got to stay to the end, but if he's not going to play for Royal Challengers, then England have a training camp next week. He learned a lot last year at the IPL; this year he's done it and played a little bit but not had a huge amount of success."
Meanwhile, Jofra Archer will miss the Lord's Test against New Zealand due to his IPL commitments with Rajasthan Royals, targeting a return for the second Test at the Kia Oval.
