England Men have called up Somerset batter Tom Banton as cover for the third ODI against India in Ahmedabad, which starts on Wednesday.
Warwickshire batting all-rounder Jacob Bethell, who featured in the first ODI defeat in Nagpur, has sustained a left hamstring injury. The injury will be assessed further when the team arrive in Ahmedabad on Monday.
Tom Banton, who last played for England in an ODI in August 2020, has been in outstanding form in T20 franchise cricket. He is currently the leading run-scorer in the UAE ILT20 competition, where he has amassed 493 runs from 11 innings at an average of 54.77, including two centuries.
Banton is set to arrive in India tomorrow (Monday) with a chance to reignite his international career.
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Bethell’s injury also leaves England with a dilemma ahead of their opening match in the ICC Champions Trophy against Australia in less than two weeks, with wicket-keeper Jamie Smith still recovering from an injury.
For the unversed, Bethell scored a half-century and took one wicket in the first match. The 21-year-old all-rounder had a successful tour of New Zealand at the end of 2024, scoring three half-centuries at an average of 52.
It is pertinent to mention here, that after hammering England in the five-match T20I series, India registered a commanding win in the first ODI by four wickets courtesy of Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer’s batting.
Chasing 249, Gill scored 87 while Iyer stood firm with his 59 runs which left England in a hole after the visitors opted to bat first.
England squad for India ODIs and Champions Trophy
Jos Buttler (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood.
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