Jacob Bethell: Climbing the Ranks in England's Cricket Fraternity

Jacob Bethell will be making his debut for England in the first Test of the upcoming three-match series against New Zealand which starts from November 28 in Christchurch. The England and Wales Cricket Board have announced their Playing XI for the first Test, and young all-rounder Bethell has been slated to bat at No. 3. Ollie Pope has been named to bat at No. 6.

Despite not having previously batted at No.3 in first-class cricket, Bethell has an impressive record, having scored 738 runs in 20 matches with an average of 25.44. He has also taken seven wickets in his first-class career. The batting all-rounder, who plays for Warwickshire, made his T20I and ODI debut for England following a commendable campaign in the Hundred.

Meanwhile, Pope will be stepping in to keep wickets in the absence of Jordan Cox, who was originally set to make his debut but had to bow out after breaking his thumb. Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley will open, while Joe Root will bat at No. 4 and Harry Brook at No. 5, with the team expecting to bat deep till No. 10. 

England has included three pacers in the line-up with Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, and Brydon Carse, while lone spinner Shoaib Bashir is set to take the field ahead of Jack Leach. The stage is set for an exciting and intense series, as we wait to see how these players perform under pressure.