Former England captain Alastair Cook has once again criticized his former teammate. Kevin Peterson Young batsman Jacob Bethel on his discussions with Royal Challengers Bengaluru during the IPL.The debate began when Cook suggested that Bethel should consider cutting short his IPL 2026 stay and return to county cricket, arguing that sitting on the bench was not helping the youngster’s development. Despite Bethel’s sensational 45-ball century during the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, Cook felt the left-hander needed regular game time rather than spend another season largely unused in the IPL setup.Speaking earlier on the Stick to Cricket podcast, Cook praised Bethel’s talent and backed him as a future top-order player for England.“For that top-order batting, the way he played in Sydney, against that attack, in those conditions… I saw a player out there, and I’m sure the guy can open. If he can bat three, he can open,” Cook said.He also questioned the value of remaining on the IPL bench during a crucial developmental phase.“(But) it’s not ideal, is it? Bethel really shouldn’t be because he’s not opening. He’s not sitting around doing anything in the IPL. Ideally, he could come back and open for Warwickshire to help England,” he added.However, Pietersen strongly disagreed and launched a blunt response on social media, insisting that Cook had “absolutely no idea” what it felt like to be part of the IPL atmosphere. “Alastair Cook has absolutely no idea what it’s like to be in the IPL… what it’s like to always be with the best players in the world. So his opinion about Jacob Bethel doesn’t matter. Live in India Jacob. I know, even though you’re not playing, you’re learning and will become a better player,” Patterson wrote on X.Weeks later, Cook revisited the topic on the Stick to Cricket podcast and gave a more pointed response, suggesting that the financial attraction of the IPL makes criticism difficult.“I have just given my opinion and I can justify it by saying that at the time he was not playing. Last year too, he went to the IPL and didn’t play, so he has already taken advantage of that once or twice. In my opinion, he could come back and actually play some cricket. Ironically, since all of this has come out, he’s played a little bit now,” Cook said.Cook further emphasized that development ultimately depends on playing matches and not just watching from the sidelines.“Well I get another argument to learn from it but there’s a stage where you have to play like you can’t learn from it and I know IPL is a great tournament but also nobody will publicly say that IPL is not the place to be because everybody knows it’s in everybody’s pockets.
