England's three-into-one selection dilemma will come to a head this week when they pick their XI for the first Test against India. We asked our writers to select their preferred top seven for the opening match of the series.
Yas Rana
Head of content Wisden.com, Wisden Cricket Weekly & Wisden Women's Cricket Weekly podcast host
1. Zak Crawley
2. Ben Duckett
3. Ollie Pope
4. Joe Root
5. Harry Brook
6. Ben Stokes
7. Jamie Smith
No change, initially at least. This is the top seven England fielded the last time all frontline batting options were available. At this point in time, I see no need to change it just yet even if Jacob Bethell is clearly the coming man. He instantly looked at home at three in New Zealand, defensively sound against an excellent attack and in possession of an almost jaw-dropping range of shots.
Ollie Pope, the most in danger if Bethell is selected, also had a good tour of New Zealand and has scored four Test hundreds since the start of last year. His record at three – 2,024 runs at 43.04 – is excellent and though questions remain over his ability against the very best sides, he has had few opportunities to change perceptions against Australia and India since Stokes assumed the captaincy three years ago.
Zak Crawley, meanwhile, has taken a step (or two) back since an excellent 10-Test streak against Australia and India in 2023 and early 2024, but it feels counter-intuitive to discard a player whose main attraction is his ability against the world’s best fast bowlers, immediately before another set of back-to-back series against India and Australia.
Other manoeuvres to shoehorn Bethell in – giving the gloves to Pope and dropping Jamie Smith, or even doing without the specialist spin of Bashir to accommodate Bethell as a Moeen-style spin-bowling all-rounder – would be even more turbulent. Even if left out of the initial XI, Bethell’s time will surely come soon. But change at this point would potentially be too disruptive, especially for a regime whose success has come, in part, from making players feel their most confident selves.
Jo Harman-McGowan
Wisden Cricket Monthly magazine editor
1. Ben Duckett
2. Jacob Bethell
3. Ollie Pope
4. Joe Root
5. Harry Brook
6. Ben Stokes
7. Jamie Smith
It tends to be a mark of the best sides that they’re prepared to make changes from a position of strength, rather than being forced into adjustments when things begin to drift. In the case of Crawley, the drift – bar a strong 2023 – has been going on for about five years now, and in Bethell they have a truly exceptional talent waiting in the wings.
Yes, Bethell is yet to make a first-class ton, and he’s never opened the batting in a professional red-ball match, but it’s a role he performed throughout age-group cricket and where members of Warwickshire’s coaching staff believe he’ll ultimately end up. On his maiden Test tour, where he batted No.3 in New Zealand, the latest he arrived at the crease was the fifth over, effectively playing as an opener due to Crawley’s struggles against Matt Henry. He looked assured against the new ball and readymade for Test cricket. As England embark on a pair of series which will define the legacy of this team, this is not the time to die wondering. Crawley’s had his chance. Now is the time for Jacob Bethell.
Katya Witney
Staff writer, Wisden.com
1. Ben Duckett
2. Zak Crawley
3. Jacob Bethell
4. Joe Root
5. Harry Brook
6. Ben Stokes
7. Jamie Smith
At no previous point in either’s career would I have backed Crawley over Pope when it came down to it, but at this moment in time that’s what fits best. Bethell has done more than enough, both in New Zealand and across various formats over the last few months, to justify his inclusion. It’s all there, the talent, the brawn, the vibe. Someone has to dip out, and the only point that really edges it is role.
Crawley stays in as a specialist opener, that’s it. Pope’s frenetic starts wouldn’t be improved by bumping him another place up the order, and while he will likely have a long term future in the Test side, this is what serves them best of who they have available right now. I was tempted to go for a big promotion for Smith to mirror his white-ball roles, but that one might have to wait for further down the line.
Ben Gardner
Managing editor, Wisden.com
1. Ben Duckett
2. Jacob Bethell
3. Ollie Pope
4. Joe Root
5. Harry Brook
6. Ben Stokes
7. Jamie Smith
Watching Jacob Bethell bat against West Indies, the question transformed from ‘How can England fit him in?’ to ‘How could they possibly not?’ From there, it’s a shootout between Crawley and Pope, and I’ve plumped for the latter.
There are arguments for and against both, but I think Pope is the more likely to make Test runs right now, and I’m not worried about Bethell against the new ball. It’s now less a specialist position in England than at any point in the last 15 years, and the thought of him facing up against Bumrah in front of a baying Headingley crowd at 11am on Friday is too tantalising to resist.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
