Jacob Bethell faces a fitness assessment on his finger ahead of England's first Test against New Zealand, casting uncertainty over his debut at number three. The 22-year-old earned his place after scoring a breakthrough century in the final Ashes Test in Sydney, but has played just once for Warwickshire in the County Championship since August 2024.

Former England captain Alastair Cook questioned Bethell's IPL stint with Bengaluru, suggesting he should return to open for Warwickshire instead. Kevin Pietersen strongly disagreed on social media, arguing Cook doesn't understand the value of being around world-class players in India. Pietersen believes Bethell will return a better player despite limited game time.

England has already reshuffled their batting lineup following the 4-1 Ashes defeat, with Emilio Gay set to make his Test debut in place of Zak Crawley. Somerset's James Rew joins the squad as batting cover, ready to step in if Bethell's injury rules him out of the New Zealand series.