Former England skipper Michael Atherton has come down heavily on the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for dropping Jacob Bethell from the team for the coming one-off Test against Zimbabwe. Bethell, who impressed at England's No. 3 in their recent red-ball series against New Zealand, was not included in the team to continue his stay in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

The 20-year-old posted 52.00 from three tests in New Zealand in trying conditions to win acclaim and a promotion from an incremental to a full central contract. Though he has red-ball potential and form, the ECB decided to let Bethell stay in the IPL, where he recently became the youngest overseas player to make a fifty. Atherton, on Sky Sports, condemned the move, arguing that a central contract should enable the board to call up a player when international obligation beckons.

"My own belief is that Bethell could and should have been selected," Atherton opined. "That is the purpose of a central contract — you get to control your players. It's an international match, and that must come before any domestic competition."

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A Selection Dilemma Avoided, But at What Cost?

Atherton further noted that Bethell’s absence might have conveniently spared the selectors a tough decision. With Jamie Smith returning, there was likely going to be a toss-up between Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope — both of whom have been underwhelming in red-ball cricket recently. Had Bethell been available, the management would have faced the challenge of leaving one of them out.

“Bethell looked the part in New Zealand,” Atherton added. “His absence removes the tricky decision — and they might be happy not to make that call yet.”

The ECB’s policy of allowing contracted players to fulfill IPL commitments has once again sparked debate about the balance between franchise leagues and international cricket.

England Squad for Zimbabwe Test:

Ben Stokes (cap.), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Sam Cook, James Rew, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wkt.), and Josh Tongue.