Jacob Bethell return to England's ODI setup is complete after the knee injury that ended his summer, but a place in Friday's series opener against Australia in Perth is not assured. The 23-year-old left-hander must displace either Ben Duckett or Tom Banton at the top of the order, or find another route into the XI.
England sit eighth in the 50-over world rankings with the 2027 World Cup in Africa less than a year away. Their ODI form had trended upward through 2025 before the tri-series in Pakistan in October interrupted it.
Jacob Bethell return creates the opener question
Bethell was moved up to open for the ODI series against India in the summer and made 91 off 93 balls in a 192-run opening stand with Duckett that helped England clinch the series. His maiden ODI hundred had come against South Africa at the close of the 2025 summer, followed by centuries in the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney and the 2026 T20 World Cup semi-final against India.
Duckett's place is not in question. He finished the Pakistan tri-series with back-to-back hundreds, making it three in his last eight ODIs. Banton, 27, has averaged 56.28 across seven innings since taking the opener's role, with four fifties and 126 off 105 balls against Sri Lanka at The Oval. The pair average 71 together as a partnership.
Bethell did not play in the warm-up match against Western Australia at the weekend, where Duckett (59) and Banton (14) again opened. That is the only selection signal available before Perth.
Analysis: the alternative routes into the side
Analysis. Jos Buttler is absent from the tour with a hamstring injury, and Jordan Cox is currently slated for the middle-order berth and the wicketkeeping gloves. Cox returned a top score of 43 from four matches in Pakistan, though he was not required with the bat in one of them.
England could drop Cox, hand the gloves to Banton and recall Bethell, adding a left-hander to a run of right-handers from Joe Root down, with Sam Curran at six or seven the only other exception. That would defer the Banton-Bethell decision until Buttler returns. The cost is Banton keeping wicket across 50 overs while opening, a combination the source describes as unfamiliar and unfair.
Sam Curran's form and the spin route
Curran missed the back end of the summer with a groin injury requiring surgery, then took four wickets at 54.75 in four matches in Pakistan. He bowled five overs in the first match and conceded 103 from nine as Sri Lanka chased 430 in Rawalpindi.
Bethell first entered the ODI side at No 7 as a left-arm spin option. England preferred Liam Dawson and Will Jacks in Pakistan, with Adil Rashid omitted for much of the tri-series, which makes a third spinner in Australia unlikely.
What to watch in Perth
The first ODI starts at 3.30am UK time on Friday, with five T20s to follow at 8.15am UK time. Sky Sports' reading of the selection picture is that the bench is Bethell's most likely destination in Australia, at least for now.
The original report is from skysports.com.
