Despite playing five one-day international matches and two Twenty20 matches against Australia during the summer, this is the 21-year-old Warwickshire player’s first call-up to the Test team.
Jamie Smith, the wicketkeeper, will miss the series to attend the birth of his first child.
Left-hander Bethell will provide further batting depth, and Jordan Cox will step in and make his Test debut.
Despite a challenging tour of Pakistan, when he averaged just 11 and scored a maximum of 29 in the three Test matches, vice captain Ollie Pope maintains his spot in the team.
Rehan Ahmed, Jack Leach, and Shoaib Bashir are England’s three front-line spinners.
Ben Stokes (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Bryson Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Olly Stone, and Chris Woakes are the members of the England team for the Test series against New Zealand.
Considering that Bethell has only played, his inclusion is the obvious highlight.
