Jacob Bethell will continue at No. 3 after England announced an unchanged XI for the second Test against New Zealand at Basin Reserve. Victory in Christchurch by eight wickets was rounded out by a maiden half-century from Bethell.

England newcomer Jacob Bethell received a double dose of good news on Wednesday, keeping his place for the second Test against New Zealand and landing a two-year central contract. Bethell made an unplanned Test debut in last week's series-opening win in Christchurch - only coming into consideration after Jordan Cox broke a thumb in practice - and ended the match with an ebullient,

England batter Jacob Bethell has been awarded a central contract upgrade, signing a two-year extension until September 2026, the country's cricket board (ECB) said on Wednesday.

RCB’s latest recruit, Jacob Bethell made his Test debut recently and put on quite a show despite getting out for just 10 in the first inning as he smashed an unbeaten 50 in the second essay and fuelled England's win.

Jacob Bethell drew parallels to Kevin Pietersen and Brian Lara in his maiden Test half-century against New Zealand

Jacob Bethell admitted his Test debut was “everything I’ve dreamed of” after scoring the winning run in England’s thumping victory over New Zealand at Christchurch. Bethell was catapulted into the side at short notice after Jordan Cox broke a thumb during the warm-up match in Queenstown,

Bethell helped England complete the quickest 100-run-plus chase in Test history, with England’s highest run-scorer and batting great, Joe Root, accompanying him on the other end.