Jacob Bethell will make his debut for the England cricket team in the first T20 match against Australia at the Utilita Bowl, Southampton on Wednesday.
Only 20, the all-rounder makes his way to the English side on the back of impressive performances in the T20 Blast and The Hundred.
The talented Bethell, who bats left-handed and bowls spin, was signed by Paarl Royals last month to avail his services for the third season of SA20, the premier domestic T20 tournament in South Africa, scheduled to start in January 2025. Paarl Royals is the sister franchise of the Rajasthan Royals.
Stand-in England head coach Marcus Trescothick has high hopes from the youngster.
“I see a super talented kid who’s making his way in the game,” Trescothick was quoted saying by the Independent.
“I’ve coached him a couple of times through the England Under-19s programme, going back a couple of years, and it was really evident to me that he’s going to be a superstar.”
Bethell gained recognition for the England Under-19 team, which reached the World Cup final in 2022. His breakthrough performance came in the quarter-finals against South Africa, where he delivered a blistering 88 off just 42 balls.
The following year, Bethell scored two fifties on the England Lions tour of Sri Lanka.
“We’ve seen it a little bit in The Hundred. We’ve seen various scores that he’s made, catches that he’s taken and a little bit when he was bowling,” Trescothick pointed out.
“I think you’re going to enjoy watching him going forward over the next few years.”
In the T20 Blast, Jacob Bethell amassed 356 runs from just 11 innings at an average of 39.55 and a strike rate of 155.45. He also accounted for six wickets in the tournament with his left-arm spin.
He carried his good form into The Hundred, scoring 166 runs at an average of 33.20 and a strike rate of 132.80 and made his way into both the England squads for the white-ball series against Australia.
“It’s flattering to have people with high standings in the game speak highly of me and to mention me in England circles,” Bethell was quoted saying by the Warwickshire County Cricket Club website.
“Hopefully I can go out in an England shirt, put in some good performances and show it’s deserved.”
Born and raised in Barbados, Bethell won a sports scholarship to the Rugby School in Warwickshire as a teenager. It paved the way for his entry into the county's youth system, leading to his signing in 2021.
At just 17 years of age, Bethell made his debut in the 2021 T20 Blast and the One Day Cup for Warwickshire. In the following year, Bethell made his debut in The Hundred with Welsh Fire.
Bethell has played a total of 44 matches in the T20 Blast and The Hundred with a tally of 731 runs at a strike rate of 138.18.
In the One Day Cup, Bethell has accumulated 339 runs from 15 visits to the crease. Along with that, he has also picked up 15 wickets from 11 innings at an average of 28.46 and a strike rate of 32.80.
Photo Credit: Jacob Bethell
