Cook's criticism of Bethell, IPL in spotlight as England's County regulars flop on Day 1 at Lord's: ‘Whats the excuse?’

Jacob Bethell's decision to feature in the 19th season of the Indian Premier League over the County Championship came under the scanner once again after the all-rounder was dismissed for just 6 off 22 deliveries on the opening day of the first Test between England and New Zealand at Lord's.

Bethell had been criticised by former England captain and Test great Alastair Cook over his decision to stay back in India and continue playing for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who would go on to win their second successive title.

Cook felt Bethell would have gained more valuable experience playing for Warwickshire in the County Championship that warming the bench in the 19th IPL season, even going to the extent of stating that the world's biggest T20 league wasn't "as good as everyone thinks it is".

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Bethell did play seven games as a replacement for fellow Englishman Phil Salt before a finger injury ruled him out of the IPL playoffs, forcing him to return home for assessment. The opening day of the first Test against the Black Caps, which kickstarts the English home summer, was thus the first competitive for the Barbadian-born English all-rounder since RCB's away clash against Punjab Kings on 17 May.

Bethell not the only batter flopping on Day 1 at Lord's

Bethell, however, wasn't the only batter to flop on Day 1 of the three-match Test series. In fact, 16 wickets fell on Day 1 at the 'Home of Cricket' with a little more than 200 runs being scored by both teams.

Opener Ben Duckett, who had withdrawn from the IPL after being bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs 2 crore in order to focus on the Test summer, could manage just 19 off 37 deliveries. Star batter Joe Root, who is closing in on Sachin Tendulkar's record as the all-time leading run-scorer in the Test format, fell for just 1 after facing 8 deliveries.

It was a similar story across both camps at Lord's on Thursday, with England captain Harry Kane (56) and New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips (31 not out) being the only batter to score more than 20 as pacers from both teams feasted in conducive conditions.

While some social media users continued to target Bethell for choosing IPL over County cricket, many others pointed out the obvious – that even the red-ball regulars had flopped on what was a forgettable day for batting.

'Whats the excuse for the other 7 English batters?'

Here are some of those reactions:

Some others pointed out the massive gulf between Bethell's batting averages when it comes to the first and second innings – which stands at 8.71 and 84.2 respectively.

Bethell had struck a majestic 154, his maiden Test hundred, in a losing cause in the final Ashes Test in Sydney in January, and his incredible second-innings average suggests he's likely to bounce back in style later in the ongoing match.