‘English cricket more important than the IPL or a franchise’: Alastair Cook reigns in Jacob Bethell debate amid The Hundred withdrawal | Cricket News
England is big Alastair Cook the debate about Jacob Bethell has been revived IPL stint, saying international cricket should always come before franchise leagues. His comments resurfaced after Bethell was ruled out of this year’s The Hundred with a knee injury, denying him valuable match practice ahead of England’s Test series against Pakistan. Speaking on the Stick to Cricket podcast with Mo Bobat and Dinesh Karthik, Cook doubled down on his earlier criticism of Bethell staying in the IPL despite limited opportunities.“What I’m saying, I think it’s really important. I’m here for the Test match in a week’s time, and one of our No. 3 players (sitting on the bench)… I think it’s really important that English cricket is more important than an IPL or a franchise. That’s what I thought, and obviously, I’m not allowed to think about it, because IPL is the best tournament in the world,” said the former captain. Cook also questioned the value of Bethell spending another IPL season on the bench, adding: “So I took it from Jacob Bethel, who sat on the bench last year and learned from all the players, who then also sat on the bench not playing. I’m sitting here, my No.“Cook’s comments gained fresh attention after Bethell suffered a knee injury during England’s ODI series against India, forcing him to withdraw from The Hundred, where he was due to captain Birmingham Phoenix. The failure also raised doubts about his availability for England’s upcoming Test series against Pakistan.Earlier this year, Bethell defended his decision to stay with Royal Challengers Bengaluru despite limited game time, saying there was “no right or wrong way” and insisting that IPL training had helped his development even though he was not part of the playing XI.
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