San Francisco Frontiers - Brook hails 'exceptional' Bethell as England rout West Indies

There has long been talk over whether Bethell, recently returned from IPL duty, will go straight back into the Test side for the upcoming five-match series with India.

And that speculation will only intensify following Bethell's expertly-paced innings of 82 from 53 balls that propelled England to a huge total of 400-8 on his Warwickshire home ground.

Faced with trying to become only the second team in the 4,880-match history of men's ODI cricket to score over 400 to win, following South Africa's 438-9 against Australia at Johannesburg in 2006, the West Indies collapsed to 162 all out.

Brook, speaking after launching his reign as England's permanent white-ball captain with a dominant 238-run win, said of left-hander Bethell: "He batted beautifully there.

- 'Confident lad' -

"When one of us gets going, most of the time it's hard to stop us and he showed that. He couldn't go on and get three figures but it was a match-winning innings and he's going to be some player.

"He's a confident lad, I don't think he needs too much more bigging up, he knows he's a good player and we all know he's an exceptional player. He's going to have a very long England career if he keeps on batting the way he does. He brings so much to a side (because) he can bowl and field as well."

Victory ended England's seven-match losing streak in ODI cricket and put them 1-0 up in this three-game series against the West Indies.

Barbados-born Bethell's Indian Premier League commitments meant he missed last week's Test win over Zimbabwe, with England not having to decide whether to retain him at number three after he starred in New Zealand in December or restore vice-captain Ollie Pope to that position.

Pope made a hundred at Trent Bridge but Test captain Ben Stokes revived the debate around Bethell by indicating the spin-bowling all-rounder could be back in the side to face India.

Stokes later insisted he was only talking about Bethell returning to the squad for the first of five Tests against India, starting on June 20 at Headingley.

But a relaxed Bethell told the BBC: "Not a lot has been said to me, to be honest. At the end of the day in Test cricket, those boys have their spots and whatever happens, happens. I'll just be happy with whatever."

Bethell rounded off England's innings on Thursday following earlier fifties from Ben Duckett (60), Joe Root (57) and Brook (58), while every batsman in the hosts' top seven passed 35.

"It was a pretty exceptional start from the boys," said Brook. Hopefully we can top that. The tempo we batted with throughout the innings was pretty much spot on."

Saqib Mahmood then rocked the West Indies with three wickets and fellow paceman Jamie Overton did likewise despite dislocating his finger in his first over.

West Indies coach Darren Sammy, meanwhile, demanded an improved showing from the tourists in the second ODI in Cardiff on Sunday.

"We were really outplayed -- that was just not good enough," insisted the former West Indies captain.

Z.Phillips--SFF