Four options to replace Jacob Bethell as England No 3 – and who I would pick

With just four weeks until their next Test series against Pakistan, England are without a captain, head coach and now a recognised No 3 after Jacob Bethell was ruled out of The Hundred with a knee injury. The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have been vague with the details of Bethell’s injury to his right knee he sustained during the recent one-day series against India. Yet given he is out for the duration of The Hundred, where he was set to captain Birmingham Phoenix, and will undergo rehabilitation rather than just rest following a scan last Monday, it looks like he is struggling to be fit for the first Test against Pakistan that starts at Headingley on 19 August. Jacob Bethell injured his right knee playing for England against India (Photo: Getty) It would leave England with yet another big decision during what has been a nightmare summer for the Test team following the shock retirement of Ben Stokes and sacking of Brendon McCullum after the 2-1 series loss to New Zealand. So, then, if their worst fears are realised and Bethell is ruled out, what are England’s options for the key No 3 position against Pakistan? Recall Ollie Pope Okay, so first up, without a coach at the moment it is hard to make any definitive calls on this but Pope would be the safest choice to fill the void against Pakistan. Dropped during last winter’s Ashes series after three Tests, the Surrey batter was the man in possession before Bethell took over. Going back may be seen as a retrograde step, especially given he had 64 Tests to prove himself and he averaged just 24 in the six months before he eventually lost his place in Australia. Yet he has looked good for Surrey this summer, averaging 56.66 in the seven County Championship games he has played and he does have experience. Another Surrey man in Dan Lawrence is also an experienced alternative. He is averaging 65 in first-class cricket this summer but from No 4 and his record at No 3 in Tests is patchy at best. The last time he was thrown in there against Sri Lanka two summers ago, he didn’t manage more than 35 in any innings. Bring in a newcomer Ben McKinney averages 52 for Durham in the County Championship (Photo: Getty) New coach, new captain and a new era. So why not trust in someone with potential rather than going back? In this scenario, England would look at Ben McKinney and Asa Tribe to fill in for Bethell. Pakistan represent modest opposition right now and it would be a good chance to blood a debutant. Of the two, McKinney, averaging 52 this summer in domestic cricket, looks the most likely, especially with director of cricket Marcus North, who has just moved to the ECB from McKinney’s Durham, likely to have greater influence on selection under any new coach. Tribe, who was the favourite to be England’s new opener at the start of the summer before being usurped by Emilio Gay, is without a Championship hundred this summer and averaging 31. Move Joe Root up the order The age-old debate about moving England’s best batter up one place rears its head whenever there is a vacancy at No 3. If Root was picked as captain, this would not be on the table. Yet given Harry Brook is the strong favourite for that job whoever takes over as coach, we can at least debate it. In my opinion, it would be folly moving Root up as it would put him in a spot he doesn’t like and force Brook up the order as well to No 4. It would be too disruptive but cannot be ruled out. Bat Rehan Ahmed at No 3 Rehan Ahmed could succeed Ben Stokes in the near future (Photo: Getty) The 21-year-old spinning all-rounder is likely to be in any England XI in the post-Stokes world given he would help balance the team. Yet batting so high up the order in Tests – when he has not been any higher than No 8 in his five previous Tests other than two occasions he was a Bazball nighthawk – seems a stretch. Yet he has excelled at No 3 for Leicestershire, hitting six Championship centuries from that position since moving there at the start of last season. He scored a century in his last match, too, against Yorkshire last month. Getting the team’s spinner in the top seven – sorry Shoaib Bashir, you are the fall guy in this scenario – would allow England to pick four seamers, gaining that balance lost by Stokes’ absence. It would be a brave move, but it would also make sense. Read more Big read: 11 mistakes that killed Bazball Analysis: Eight contenders to be England’s next Test coach as Andy Flower rules himself out Verdict What would England decide? It is a tough one as it would really depend on how long Bethell is out for. But my sense is that they would be brave and are likely to opt for McKinney over anyone else, given Pope would be seen as the conservative pick and the other two options look too risky.