Wellington, Dec 5 Former England captain Alastair Cook lauded Jacob Bethell, who made his Test debut against New Zealand, and termed him a 'seriously talented player' with situational awareness.
Bethell registered scores of 10 and 50 not out while playing at No. 3 in England's eight-wicket win over New Zealand in the series opener in Christchurch.
"There's a long way to go, but it's been an encouraging start. He's probably a year or two years behind as a player, in terms of knowing his red-ball game. But all of us who've watched cricket and played cricket, have seen something about him," Cook told TNT Sports.
"It's hard to always pinpoint what it is about certain players that makes you think they've got a really good chance of making it to the next level. But I saw Jonny Bairstow bat as a youngster for Yorkshire, and I saw Jos Butler bat for Somerset… it's not easy to put into words, because it isn't about words. It's about something you see.
"For some, it's the time they have at the crease, for some it's how cleanly they hit the ball. But Bethell's a seriously talented player, and he's looked at home in international cricket straightaway. He's plays the situation in front of him, and he's not overawed by what is going on," he added.
England's first innings in Christchurch highlighted Bethell's resilience. Coming in under overcast, swinging conditions after Zak Crawley fell for a duck, Bethell battled his way to 10 off 34 balls before falling to a vicious delivery from Nathan Smith just before the lunch break.
"I was impressed. Particularly the way that he gutsed it out in the first innings. His strike-rate in red-ball cricket is actually under 50, so it's clear he likes to build an innings (even though) his array of shots is why he got picked for the white-ball team. There's a huge amount of growth to be had there, without a doubt, even though he's nowhere near the finished article," Cook said.
Cook, initially sceptical about Bethell’s selection, admitted that the youngster’s composed response to doubts about his call-up underscored his potential.
"When he got called up, there was some question why (you'd pick) a guy averaging 25 with no hundreds, and that does bring some pressure onto you as a player. To handle that like he's done, it's as if he's doing all the other stuff first, rather than score the actual volume of runs that might have been required (for selection) in the more traditional way.
"A lot of Test cricket is played in the mind. You do need a decent technique, but the power of the mind can overcome a hell of a lot. I don't want to get carried away, but he's obviously made of the right stuff, and you are trusting the judgment of people in that leadership group who have played Test cricket, and wouldn't have taken this risk without thinking that he could cope," Cook added.
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