JACOB'S A CRACKER

JACOB BETHELL has put his hand up to be the "genuine allrounder" England crave in the shorter formats as they seek to fill the void left by Ben Stokes.

- David Charlesworth

Test captain Stokes offers balance to the team but his commitment to the red-ball side and injury troubles leave his limited-overs future unclear.

Bethell has shone with the bat in his budding England career. He made a composed fifty and also claimed the wicket of Shreyas Iyer in the series-opening ODI defeat by India on Thursday.

It may be asking a lot to expect him to take on Stokes' mantle. However, he wants to shoulder the burden of collecting middle-order runs and taking wickets with his improving left-arm spin.