England pick Pope over Bethell at number three for first test against India

FILE PHOTO: Cricket - International Test Match Series - England v Zimbabwe - Trent Bridge, Nottingham, Britain - May 22, 2025 England's Ollie Pope in action Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs/File Photo REUTERS

UPDATED Jun 18, 2025, 10:21 PM

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England named their team for the first test of the five-match series against India as they retained Ollie Pope at the expense of Jacob Bethell while Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse return to the team for the match that begins on Friday at Headingley.

Bethell had impressed for England in his debut series against New Zealand when he scored three half centuries, including a knock of 96, when batting at number three.

But vice-captain Pope, who played as a middle-order batter in that series, is set to be promoted to number three after his knock of 171 in the one-off test against Zimbabwe.

Bethell had missed the test against Zimbabwe as he was playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League.

Meanwhile, all-rounder Woakes returns to the team for the first time since December while Carse, who has played five tests for England in Pakistan and New Zealand, will get the opportunity to impress on home turf for the first time.

ENGLAND TEAM FOR FIRST TEST

⁠Zak Crawley, ⁠Ben Duckett, ⁠Ollie Pope, ⁠Joe Root, ⁠Harry Brook, ⁠Ben Stokes (captain), ⁠Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), ⁠Chris Woakes, ⁠Brydon Carse, ⁠Josh Tongue, ⁠Shoaib Bashir REUTERS

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