Former England Captain Cook Urges Bethell to Leave IPL Early for Warwickshire County Cricket Return

Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook has urged young England batter Jacob Bethell to leave the Indian Premier League early and return to county cricket with Warwickshire, criticising the player’s lack of match time with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Cook stated that Bethell, despite strong recent performances for England including a century in the Sydney Test and a match-winning 105 in the T20 World Cup semi-final against India, is currently “sitting on his arse…not doing anything” in the IPL after failing to secure a place in the playing six for six matches so far.

The former England captain made the comments during an appearance on The Overlap and Betfair’s Stick to Cricket podcast, where he acknowledged Bethell’s potential to open the batting for England based on his performances in Australia but warned that remaining inactive in India could harm his development.

Cook said: “For that top order batting, the way he played at Sydney, against that attack, in those conditions…I’ve looked at a player there and I’m certain this bloke can open. If he can bat three, he can open.” However, he added: “(But) it’s not ideal, is it? Bethell shouldn’t really be it because he’s not opening. He’s sitting on his arse at the IPL not doing anything. Ideally he could come back and open for Warwickshire to help England.”

The 22-year-old Bethell has not played any competitive cricket since his T20 World Cup heroics in March and has only appeared in one first-class match for Warwickshire since August 2024. His IPL involvement has previously disrupted his county season, with Cook noting that last year’s stint prevented Bethell from pushing for a place in the England side ahead of the home summer, ultimately allowing Ollie Pope to retain his position in the batting order until after the Ashes series had been decided.

Cook expressed concern that Bethell’s absence from competitive cricket is leaving him unprepared for England’s upcoming home summer, which begins with the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s on June 4, just four days after the IPL final. He contrasted Bethell’s situation with that of Ben Duckett, who recently withdrew from a Delhi Capitals contract to rejoin Nottinghamshire and secure his Test prospects.

The comments have reignited a long-standing public disagreement between Cook and former England teammate Kevin Pietersen, who dismissed Cook’s opinion on Bethell’s IPL involvement as irrelevant amid their ongoing feud. Pietersen, speaking to Fox Sports Australia, stated that his view on the matter “doesn’t matter at all,” further highlighting the personal tension between the two former internationals.