Bethell returns as England call up youngsters Jack and Rew

Jacob Bethell will return for England's white-ball tour of Australia, while there are also first international call-ups for exciting prospects Thomas Rew and Eddie Jack.

Warwickshire's Bethell has not played since suffering a knee injury in July but is back as part of a near-full-strength squad for three one-day internationals.

England have made changes for the five T20s, resting players ahead of the Test tour of South Africa, meaning 18-year-old Somerset wicketkeeper-batter Rew and Hampshire's 21-year-old pace bowler Jack are included.

"Thomas Rew is an amazing young talent," national selector Marcus North told the Test Match Special podcast. "He has a great maturity around him for an 18-year-old.

"Eddie Jack is another great example of a system that has been supporting and developing our fast bowlers. This is an exciting time – it's always great when you get an opportunity to bring some players in."

The tour begins with the first ODI in Perth on 13 November and ends with the final T20 in Canberra on 2 December – a week before England's warm-up match in South Africa leading into a three-Test series.

There will be live ball-by-ball commentary from every match of England's tour of Australia on Test Match Special.

England white-ball coach Brendon McCullum had previously confirmed he wanted a strong team for the ODI leg of the trip to Australia in the build-up to the World Cup in southern Africa next year.

The New Zealander also conceded he would have to rotate his squad for the T20 leg, given England's schedule in a busy winter of five separate overseas tours.

———————————————————

One-day squad: Harry Brook (Yorkshire – captain), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Sonny Baker (Hampshire), Tom Banton (Somerset), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Jordan Cox (Essex), Henry Crocombe (Surrey), Sam Curran (Surrey), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire).

T20 squad: Harry Brook (Yorkshire – captain), Tom Banton (Somerset), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), James Coles (Sussex), Jordan Cox (Essex), Henry Crocombe (Surrey), Sam Curran (Surrey), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Aneurin Donald (Derbyshire), Eddie Jack (Hampshire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Thomas Rew (Somerset), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Luke Wood (Lancashire).

———————————————————

For the ODIs, Jofra Archer is back in the pace attack after being rested for the tri-series in Pakistan in October.

Archer's return means the 50-over squad is close to full strength, bar the absence of wicketkeeper Jos Buttler who is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines following hamstring surgery.

After the ODIs, all of seamers Archer, Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue and Sonny Baker, along with batter Ben Duckett, miss out on the T20s in order to prepare for South Africa.

The re-shuffle means eye-catching call-ups for Rew and Jack, while opener Aneurin Donald keeps his place after making his debut in the series against Sri Lanka last month.

The addition of Rew and Jack, who were awarded development central contracts on Monday, offers the tantalising prospect of a first international cap against England's fiercest rivals in one of the most iconic venues in cricket. The first T20 is at the colossal Melbourne Cricket Ground on 21 November.

Rew does not turn 19 until 29 November. If he plays on the tour, he would become the third-youngest man to make his England debut in any format after Rehan Ahmed and Brian Close, and the youngest man to play for England against Australia.

Rew is the younger brother of James, who made his Test debut for England against New Zealand at The Oval in June.

Thomas captained England Under-19s to the final of the World Cup earlier this year and made two centuries for Somerset in the County Championship during the summer.

Jack, who has the middle name Vaughan after former England captain Michael, has been on England's radar since last year.

He looks likely to earn a debut in Australia because he is one of only three specialist fast bowlers in the squad. Uncapped Henry Crocombe is down under for both series after earning a two-year central contract on Monday, while Luke Wood is part of the T20 squad despite losing his central deal.

Bethell's return to both squads is an indication of the selection decision England will face for the Test series in South Africa.

In the left-hander's absence for the home Test series against Pakistan this summer, Emilio Gay, Jordan Cox and Dan Lawrence came into the England XI. Bethell's comeback could displace any one of that trio.

"It's a fantastic position to be in," added North. "We haven't sat down and discussed the nuances and detail around that.

"It's a nice problem to have in that we want to have that depth and challenging conversations around selection. It reflects we're in a good place. Around that first Test in South Africa there will be lots of discussions and debates and we'll see where that final XI lands."

Harry Brook captains England on both legs of the tour and is once again set to play across formats in every game of the winter. He has not missed an international since a raft of players were rested for the T20 series in Ireland last September.

The trip will be Brook's first return to Australia since a nightclub incident in Wellington, New Zealand, last October was revealed on the final day of the Ashes series in January.

During the Ashes, England's players came under intense scrutiny from the local media, not helped by a series of off-field misdemeanours. Though a white-ball tour will not have the same profile as the Ashes, the tourists can still expect a degree of hostility from the home fans.

There will also be the spectre of former Test captain Ben Stokes, whose stint with Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League begins shortly after England's tour ends.