Star England batter Jacob Bethell will miss the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy due to a hamstring injury sustained during the first ODI of the India-England series on February 6, 2025. The 21-year-old, who has scored 218 runs in nine 50-over matches, had been in good form, scoring 51 runs off 64 balls in the series opener at Nagpur. He also took the wicket of Shreyas Iyer in his three overs.
England’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler confirmed the news after the second ODI, saying, “I’m pretty sure (Bethell) has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy, to be honest. That’s really disappointing for him. Obviously, he played nicely the other day and has been one of the really exciting players. It’s a shame that injury is going to rule him out.”
While England has yet to issue an official statement, they called up Somerset’s Tom Banton as a replacement. Banton, 26, has played six ODIs and 14 T20Is for England, but his last appearance in 50-over cricket was in August 2020. He recently scored 493 runs in 11 matches for MI Emirates in the ILT20.
England’s 2025 Champions Trophy campaign kicks off against archrivals Australia on February 22 at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. They will face Afghanistan on February 26 and South Africa on March 1 in Group B. England has never won the ICC Champions Trophy, finishing as runners-up in 2004 and 2013.
