Bethell ruled out of England’s Australia white-ball tour

Jacob Bethell has been ruled out of England’s white-ball tour of Australia after a setback in his recovery from a right-knee injury, the England and Wales Cricket Board said. The 23-year-old will return to the UK on Saturday for assessment by a specialist, leaving his availability for England’s Test tour of South Africa in December uncertain.

The board said a scan showed the knee setback after Bethell experienced a problem during training in Perth earlier this week. He had joined the squad while recovering from surgery and had been expected to feature in both the three-match one-day international series and the five-match Twenty20 series in Australia.

England named James Coles and Eddie Jack as replacements for Bethell and Josh Tongue in the ODI squad. Tongue has also been ruled out of the three-match series, with the board attributing his withdrawal to an injury to his left big toe.

Bethell’s return to the UK for specialist assessment is intended to clarify his recovery, but no assessment result or medical prognosis has been reported. His absence raises questions about whether he will be fit for the South Africa Test tour, where he had been expected to return to the red-ball...