England’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 preparations have been shaken by news that their star batter Jacob Bethell is going to miss the tournament because of a hamstring injury. The injury happened to Bethell when he played the ongoing tour of India and is ruled out of the tournament that starts on February 19.
His England captain, Jos Buttler, confirmed the news and expressed disappointment at the unfortunate development. Bethell will be a significant loss to England, for he was expected to score thousands for himself and the country in the competition.
This injury has thrown England’s plans into a complete mess, and now they must scramble to find an efficient replacement for Bethell. Manifestations of teams will be working over time to evaluate their options and find a solution to fill the gap left by Bethell. With the tournament on the horizon, they will want to find a speedy solution and minimize all disruptions from Bethell’s injury.
“Jacob Bethell’s been ruled out of the Champions Trophy”- Jos Buttler
Buttler also stated that it is unlikely that the 22-year-old hitter will recover in time for the coveted Champions Trophy, and Bethell missed Sunday’s second ODI in Cuttack because of the injury.
“I’m pretty sure he’s been ruled out of the Champions Trophy, to be honest. That’s really disappointing for him, obviously, he played nicely the other day and has been one of the really exciting players so it’s a shame that the injury is going to rule him out,” Buttler was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
Bethell, who had been playing well, is devastated by the injury. In the first ODI against India, he made an impact with both bat and ball, taking 1 for 18 with his left-arm spin and scoring 51 runs.
Tom Banton of Somerset has been brought in as cover for England as they quickly fill the void left by Bethell’s absence. Banton will join the team for the third ODI after arriving in India on Monday.
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