England remain in search of a settled Test opening partner for Ben Duckett after dropping Zak Crawley following the Ashes series.
Young talent Jacob Bethell has emerged as a potential opening candidate after batting predominantly at number three in eight of his nine Tests.
Trescothick highlighted that modern batters adapt rapidly across formats, making flexible batting order planning feasible for the national side.
Marcus Trescothick Backs Adaptability As He Suggests A New Test Opener For England
Former England batter Marcus Trescothick urged England to field their best top-seven batters regardless of specialist positions as they seek a permanent Test opening partner for Ben Duckett. With Zak Crawley dropped and Emilio Gay struggling for consistency, England are considering Jacob Bethell as an adaptable opening option for upcoming series.
Summary
For the former England batter, Marcus Trestcothick, playing any player out of their specialised position is not a problem until they perform. He wants the side to have the best batters available in the top-7 batting order.
This comes at a time when England is searching for a permanent opening partner beside Ben Duckett in Tests. Ever since Zak Crawley was dropped from the English Test side after England's debacle in the Ashes, many batters have been tried at the slot.
None of them has cemented the position. Emilio Gay, who opened along with Duckett against Pakistan, has scored 271 runs at an average of 24.63. He has scored three fifties. There is talk going around to try Jacob Bethell as an opener in Tests for England.
Marcus said, "You generally want your best top seven, however, that looks. Who that's going to be, I don't know. That's for someone else to work out. I reckon times have changed a little bit. I think you look at your best batting line-up, however that fits up."
Played At Number 3
Long considered a generational talent, Bethell has played a total of 9 Tests, scoring 579 runs at an average of 34.05. He has batted at number three in eight Tests. He couldn't play against Pakistan as Bethell was suffering from an injury.
"If that's with a specialist opener, great. If not, I think you can plan around it in this day and age. Players adapt pretty quickly because they're chopping and changing formats," he added.
Jordan Cox replaced him in the series against Pakistan and scored 202 runs in five outings. Hence, this gives an opportunity to try Bethell at the top of the order in the upcoming series.
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