Ollie Pope's England future is in doubt after Jacob Bethell's impressive start at No 3... as Brendon McCullum heaps praise on the 21-year-old 'talent'

• e-mail

Ollie Pope could pay the price for an inconsistent year following the emergence of Jacob Bethell during England’s 2-1 win in New Zealand.

Head coach Brendon McCullum turned down the chance to confirm Pope would return to No 3 when the Test team reconvene in May, and instead sang the praises of Bethell, who averaged 52 from Pope’s old position – despite never having batted above No 4 even for Warwickshire.

‘Nice player, ain’t he?’ said McCullum. ‘He has a nice bit of class about him. It feels like he has been in the team for three or four years. He is a calm and mature young fella. We can’t be more happy with him after what he has achieved in this series, and I think he has shown that international cricket is for him.’

Asked whether Pope, who kept wicket in New Zealand and batted at No 6, would resume his role at first drop when Jamie Smith reclaims the gloves in 2025, McCullum replied: ‘Look, it is a good problem to have.

‘We were all a little unsure whether Beth could play at three, but we saw the talent in him and he has performed very well against a very good bowling line-up.

‘Popey has done really well for us, and to now have Beth there as well, you are adding some depth to your batting stocks. They are good decisions to have, and we will not make them in the next few days. When we get together again in a few months’ time, we will work all that stuff out.’

Ollie Pope could pay the price for an inconsistent year, with his England future now in doubt

Jacob Bethell, 21, has impressed at No 3 and averaged 52 in Pope's old batting position so far

McCullum usually goes out of his way to endorse his players in public, and made it clear that Zak Crawley – despite averaging eight against New Zealand – was ‘still a huge member of this side’.

But the last time he provided anything other than a ringing endorsement came when he was asked about Jimmy Anderson’s future after the fifth Test in India in March.

England have spent most of the year defending Pope’s contribution, which has amounted to three – often brilliant – Test hundreds, but also 17 scores below 20 and an average of 33.

The management’s position before the series in New Zealand was that they had gone too far down the road to make a change before next year’s pair of five-Test series against India and Australia.

Even before the second Test at Wellington, Ben Stokes insisted: ‘When Jamie is back in the team, I think we will slot back to how we were, with Pope back up to three.’

And while Pope played an important hand in the series-clinching wins at Christchurch and Wellington, adding 151 and 174 with Harry Brook and keeping tidily, he did so from a No 6 position that is unlikely to be available next summer.

Two lame dismissals in the defeat at Hamilton cannot have helped. After poking Mitchell Santner to slip in the first innings – the kind of frenetic shot that has become worryingly typical – he lost his off stump trying to reverse ramp Matt Henry in the second, and walked off past a silent England enclosure.

Assuming there are no injuries in the meantime, Pope may find himself as England’s reserve batsman come the one-off Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge in late May.

England coach Brendon McCullum heaped praise on Bethell, labelling him 'calm and mature'

Ben Stokes' side won their three-Test tour of New Zealand 2-1, despite losing the final match

Meanwhile, McCullum said England would not be encouraging Ben Stokes to ease off the gas after he hurt his troublesome left hamstring while bowling in Hamilton. 

Stokes himself said after the game that he would not be holding back in 2025, and McCullum backed him up.

‘The skipper was rock-hard fit when he came into this tour, and we all know what separates him from many others is his ability to push himself beyond what for most would seem reasonable,’ he said.

‘That is not a bad thing, because at least he is going to get every bit of talent out of himself. We ain’t going to be wrapping him up in cotton wool, because the minute you take that kind of drive out of those artists, you don’t quite end up with the finished product.’