Jacob Bethell sent home with knee swelling as fitness race begins for South Africa Tests
Jacob Bethell has been sent back to the UK with swelling on his right knee and faces a race to be fit for England’s Test series in South Africa, which begins on 17 December, after being ruled out of the white-ball tour of Australia. The 23-year-old underwent surgery on the knee at the end of August and will return home for further assessment.
Bethell had not been expected to recover in time for the one-day internationals that start in Perth on Friday but there had been hope he could play in the Twenty20s that follow. He sat out last weekend’s warm-up match at the Waca and reported swelling during early fitness work on tour, prompting further investigation.
Scan results have been sent to his specialist in the UK and England have officially ended his tour of Australia. Medical concerns over the same knee have now curtailed his participation in the white-ball fixtures.
Fast bowler Josh Tongue was also ruled out of the Australia trip last week with a toe problem, and England have adjusted their arrivals: the Sussex all-rounder James Coles and Hampshire seamer Eddie Jack, both in the senior T20 squad, are flying in early from the Lions series in the Caribbean.
A bystander at training on Wednesday, Bethell will travel home this weekend and undergo further assessment on an issue that has kept him out of action since the third ODI against India at Lord’s in July. That absence forms part of the medical picture England must evaluate before finalising Test availability.
The left-hander’s chances of selection for the first Test may depend on whether he can feature in the solitary warm-up match in Durban a week before the series opener. Alternatively, he could play for the Lions, with England’s second string flying to South Africa this month for three 50-over games and two first-class matches.
Bethell will complete assessment once back in the UK and his availability for England’s Test side will be determined by the outcome of those checks and by any appearance he can make either in the Durban warm-up or in the Lions fixtures.