Jacob Bethell has been ruled out of England's white-ball tour to Australia following a "setback" in his recovery from knee surgery. The news comes five weeks before the first Test of England's tour to South Africa, with Bethell's involvement now uncertain.
Bethell has not played any cricket since England's ODI series against India in mid-July, and missed their warm-up win over Western Australia on Saturday. He had initially hoped that he would recover from injury in time for England's Test series against Pakistan but was subsequently diagnosed with a chondral defect (cartilage damage) in his right knee that prompted surgery.
He recently told the Mail on Sunday that he had played through pain during the India series, having first experienced soreness during the T20Is that came before it. "Initially I thought it was going to be three or four weeks: have a bit of time off my feet and then get back into it," Bethell said.
Instead, it has now caused him to miss nearly five months of cricket, including England's home Tests against Pakistan, their ODIs against Sri Lanka, the recent tri-series in Pakistan and now the entirety of their white-ball tour to Australia, which begins at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Friday.
"Jacob Bethell has been ruled out of the white-ball tour of Australia following a scan on his right knee," an England spokesperson said on Wednesday.
"Bethell suffered a setback in his return from the injury during a training session in Perth earlier this week. With a busy winter ahead, it was decided that he will return to the UK on Saturday before seeing a specialist."
The news is a significant blow for Bethell, who had started to establish himself in England's ODI team before the injury. He was named player of the match in his most recent appearance when he scored 91 and took 1 for 49 from his 10 overs against India at Lord's in July.
He opened the batting for the first time in that series but has since been replaced at the top of the order by Tom Banton, who has scored 394 runs at 56.28 - including one hundred and four half-centuries - since his promotion. Banton will now have further opportunities to secure his position as Ben Duckett's opening partner in Australia.
Bethell had also become Harry Brook's vice-captain, and was due to share the same role with Will Jacks in Australia this month. Jacks is also due to captain the side in their fifth T20I against Australia, with Brook and Jordan Cox both leaving the tour early to prepare for the South Africa Test series.
"It's disappointing for him," Joe Root, who will play his 200th ODI on Friday, told the BBC. "I know how hard he works, and I know everything he's done to get himself right, and hopefully it's not too serious and he's not out for too long."
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Bethell will now try to prove his fitness in time to play in the first Test at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on December 17, having been named in England's 15-man squad for the three-match series earlier this week.
He is competing with Emilio Gay, Jordan Cox and Dan Lawrence for one of three spots in their top six, with national selector Marcus North suggesting this week that no decision has yet been made on the identity of England's batting line-up. North also hinted that Bethell may be considered as an option to open in Tests for the first time.
England have flown the Sussex allrounder James Coles to Australia ahead of schedule to replace Bethell. Coles, who like Bethell bowls left-arm orthodox, was due to join the touring party for the five-match T20I series later this month, but will arrive in Perth on Thursday after leaving England Lions's tour of St Kitts early.
He will be joined in transit by Eddie Jack, the Hampshire fast bowler, who has also been added to the ODI squad after Josh Tongue flew home early with an injured big toe. Jack took 5 for 42 in the Lions's thumping 266-run win over West Indies A earlier this week, and like Coles will stay in Australia for the T20I series.