Bethell ruled out of Hundred with knee injury

Jacob Bethell has pulled out of the Hundred with a knee injury, depriving him of valuable captaincy experience, and could be a doubt for England's Test series against Pakistan. Bethell injured his right knee during England's recent ODI series win against India, and has withdrawn from the Hundred following an MRI scan on Monday morning. The ECB have not yet put a timeframe on his recovery but England's first Test against Pakistan at Headingley is less than a month away, starting on August 19. "Jacob Bethell has been ruled out of The Hundred due to a right knee injury," an England statement said. "Bethell sustained the injury during the Metro Bank ODI Series and underwent an MRI scan yesterday morning. We will provide updates as necessary as he begins his rehabilitation." The injury is a significant blow for Bethell, who was intended to be the face of Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred this year after he was retained on a £340,000 contract and named captain. Warwickshire and Knighthead Capital, a US investment fund, jointly own the franchise at the moment. England footballer Jude Bellingham is also a minority stakeholder. Bethell said in a statement released by the franchise: "It's frustrating to miss out on the Hundred, especially representing Birmingham Phoenix in front of our supporters at Edgbaston. Unfortunately, I need to take the time to get back to full fitness. My focus now is on completing my rehabilitation and returning fully fit." Bethell is widely seen as a future England captain and led them to a T20I series win in Ireland last year when Harry Brook was rested. He is an outside bet to replace Ben Stokes as Test captain, but could assume the role in one or both of the white-ball formats if Brook assumes the Test captaincy and the ECB deem it impossible for him to lead in all three. After a quiet start to the summer, with his preparations disrupted by a finger injury sustained at the IPL, Bethell has found form in recent weeks. He made 74 in England's third Test against New Zealand, hit a match-winning 76 not out in their second T20I against India, and was player of the match in the ODI series decider, scoring 91 and returning figures of 1 for 49. The Phoenix will play Trent Rockets in their opening match of the season on Friday night and have appointed South Africa's Donovan Ferreira as their new captain. They also have concerns around the availability of Mustafizur Rahman, who has joined the squad in Birmingham after he was injured on international duty this month. "We're all incredibly disappointed for Jacob and gutted he won't be able to join us this year," Bond said. "It's frustrating to lose a player of his quality, not least your captain, this close to the tournament but his long-term fitness has to be the priority." Ferreira, 28, has limited leadership experience but captained South Africa in four T20Is late last year and is a two-time Hundred winner with Oval Invincibles. "We're lucky to have someone of his stature to step into the captaincy," Bond said.