Jacob Bethell of RCB (PTI) Former England captain Alastair Cook has suggested young batsman Jacob Bethell should seriously consider cutting short his Indian Premier League spell with Royal Challengers Bengaluru to return to county cricket with Warwickshire, arguing the youngster is wasting valuable time developing on the bench.Bethell, who impressed strongly in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026, produced an outstanding performance in the semi-final against India, smashing a century off just 45 balls. The innings remains one of the fastest centuries in the history of the tournament and firmly announced his arrival on the global stage.
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Venugopal Rao explains where Delhi Capitals lost the game when they were chasing a big numberHowever, despite this pace, Bethell is yet to appear in a single match for RCB this IPL 2026 season. With the franchise relying on overseas options like Phil Salt, Tim David, Romario Shepherd and Josh Hazlewood, the young left-hander found himself out of the playing XI.Cook believes the situation is far from ideal for a player at this stage in his career. Speaking on the Stick to Cricket podcast, he said Bethell’s ability at the top of the order was already evident and needed to be backed up with consistent game time.“Because of that top-order batting, the way he played in Sydney, against that attack, in those conditions… I was looking at the players there and I’m sure the guy can open. If he can bat three, he can open,” Cook said.He also questioned the value of remaining on the IPL bench during a crucial development phase.“(But) it’s not ideal, is it? Bethell really shouldn’t be because he’s not opening. He’s sitting around the IPL doing nothing. Ideally he could come back and open for Warwickshire to help England,” he added.Cook’s comments come amid growing debate about England’s young players balancing franchise leagues and domestic red-ball development. Earlier, England opener Ben Duckett also opted out of his contract with Delhi Capitals to focus on county cricket and boost his Test ambitions.
