England captain Jos Buttler has confirmed that all-rounder Jacob Bethell has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy due to a hamstring injury.
Bethell who complied a fifty in the Nagpur ODIs, is set to be ruled out for an extended period. According to reports, Bethell had experienced pain in his upper left leg following the ODI series in Nagpur.
The scan a suspected tear, which is likely to rule the left-hander out for four to six weeks. England had called wk-batter Tom Banton from Dubai as cover for the all-rounder, who is coming off a sensational ILT20, smashing a couple of centuries playing for the MI Emirates.
Wk-batter Jamie Smith who was struggling with his calf is expected to be fit for the third ODI. The time window could probably see Bethell miss the whole Champions Trophy and may even miss a couple of games at the start of the IPL where he is scheduled to link up with the RCB for the 2025 edition.
“I’m pretty sure (Bethell) has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy, to be honest,” said England captain Jos Buttler.
“That’s really disappointing for him. Obviously, he played nicely the other day and has been one of the really exciting players. It’s a shame that injury is going to rule him out,” Buttler further said.
While Banton has been called up as cover for the ODI series, England might look at someone like Liam Dawson, who did exceptionally well for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the recently concluded SA20, as a like-for-like replacement.
England have already lost the series with India winning the Cuttack clash by four wicket but wickets but like be keen to avoid a whitewash.
England will have a 10-day break before they begin their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign against Australia on February 22 in Lahore.
