Sir Alastair Cook: Former England great Sir Alastair Cook has advised youngster Jacob Bethell to consider leaving his franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) and return to play county cricket with Warwickshire, stating that the left-hander is not doing anything and wasting his crucial preparation time at IPL.
Bethell was in great touch in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026, where he scored a brilliant century in the semi final against India. The youngster achieved the milestone in just 45 balls and recorded the second-fastest T20 World Cup century ever.
Despite World Cup heroics, Bethell is yet to play a single game in RCB as he is not getting any place in the playing XI, which has Phil Salt, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, and Josh Hazlewood as overseas player.
Cook feels that Bethell's century against Australia in Sydney showed that he could be the answer to England's opening problems and He should prove his mantle as an opener to the selectors by opting for the role for Warwickshire in County Cricket rather than wasting his time sitting on the bench in IPL.
“For that top order batting, the way he played at Sydney, against that attack, in those conditions…I’ve looked at a player there, and I’m certain this bloke can open. If he can bat three, he can open," Cook said on The Overlap and Betfair’s Stick to Cricket podcast.
Cook feels that Bethell's century against Australia in Sydney showed that he could be the answer to England's opening problems and He should prove his mantle as an opener to the selectors by opting for the role for Warwickshire in County Cricket rather than wasting his time sitting on the bench in IPL.
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Earlier, England opener Ben Duckett pulled out of a contract with Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL to play county cricket and focus on his test revival.