Jacob Bethell was part of the England squad that reached the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in March. England expect Jacob Bethell to be fit for the first Test against New Zealand despite the injury that curtailed his time with Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Indian Premier League.

Batter Bethell returned home at the weekend with an injury to his left ring finger, leaving defending champions Bengaluru before the play-offs began. The 22-year-old had a scan on Tuesday. England will continue to monitor Bethell until the Test at Lord's starts on 4 June, but the left-hander is set to take his place at number three in the line-up.

Bethell made a breakthrough century in England's last Test, the final match of the Ashes series against Australia in Sydney in January. If he is passed fit to play against the Black Caps, it will be the first time Bethell has batted at number three in a home Test.

With Emilio Gay due to make his Test debut opening alongside Ben Duckett, uncapped James Rew is the other batter in the England squad and on stand-by if Bethell is ruled out.

Warwickshire's Bethell averages 43.27 in six Tests, including that century in Sydney - one of the few highlights of England's dismal 4-1 defeat down under. But his time at the IPL has come in for scrutiny, given his lack of domestic red-ball cricket - Bethell has played only once in the County Championship since August 2024.

Before Bethell broke into the Bengaluru team midway through this IPL campaign, former England captain Sir Alastair Cook questioned his presence in India when he said: "He's not doing anything. Ideally he could come back and open for Warwickshire to help England."

Cook's ex-England team-mate Kevin Pietersen responded by writing on X: "Alastair Cook has absolutely NO IDEA what it's like to be in the IPL. What it's like to always be around the best players in the world. So his opinion on Jacob Bethell doesn't matter at all. Stay in India, Jacob. I know, even though you're not playing, you're learning and will be a way better player."

Bethell ultimately got his chance after an injury to England team-mate Phil Salt. His highest score in seven innings was 27. In Bethell's absence, Bengaluru have moved into Sunday's IPL final. If he had remained in India for the final, Bethell may only have joined up with the England squad two days before the first Test.

Pace bowler Jofra Archer is already missing the first Test following his stint at the IPL with Rajasthan Royals.

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