Bethell Returns for England's White-Ball Tour of Australia; Rew and Jack Earn First Call-Ups

Jacob Bethell is poised to make his return for England's upcoming white-ball tour of Australia, with uncapped prospects Thomas Rew and Eddie Jack also earning their first international call-ups. The tour, featuring three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and five Twenty20 Internationals (T20s), is scheduled to begin on November 13.

Bethell, who has been sidelined with a knee injury since July, has been included in a near full-strength squad for the ODI leg of the tour. However, the T20 portion will see a squad rotation to rest players ahead of the Test tour of South Africa. This reshuffling has paved the way for 18-year-old Somerset wicketkeeper-batter Rew and 21-year-old Hampshire pace bowler Jack to be included in the T20 squad.

The tour will commence with the first ODI in Perth on November 13 and conclude with the final T20 in Canberra on December 2, a week before England's warm-up match for their Test series in South Africa. England's white-ball coach, Brendon McCullum, emphasized the desire for a strong team for the ODIs in preparation for next year's World Cup in southern Africa. He also acknowledged the necessity of rotating the squad for the T20 series due to a demanding winter schedule that includes five separate overseas tours.

For the ODIs, Jofra Archer is set to return to the pace attack after being rested for the tri-series in Pakistan in October. This ODI squad is largely at full strength, with the notable exception of wicketkeeper Jos Buttler, who is recovering from hamstring surgery.

Following the ODIs, several players, including fast bowlers Archer, Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, and Sonny Baker, along with batter Ben Duckett, will be unavailable for the T20s as they prepare for the South Africa Test series. This provides opportunities for Rew and Jack, who were recently awarded development central contracts.

Rew, who does not turn 19 until November 29, could become the third-youngest man to debut for England in any format if he plays. He captained England's Under-19 team to the World Cup final earlier this year and scored two centuries for Somerset in the County Championship. Jack has been on England's radar since last year and is one of only three specialist fast bowlers in the T20 squad. Uncapped Henry Crocombe is also part of both squads.

Bethell's return to both white-ball squads offers a glimpse into potential selection decisions for the Test series in South Africa. Harry Brook will captain England for both the ODI and T20 series. This tour will mark Brook's first return to Australia since an incident in Wellington last October.

The tour begins with the first ODI in Perth on November 13 and concludes with the final T20 in Canberra on December 2.