NEWS
Follow UsLife has been moving in the fifth gear for Jacob Bethell’s aspirations as an international cricketer. Having impressed in the 2022 edition of the U19 World Cup, he was earmarked to be a future spin-bowling all-rounder for England. The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) started its Project Bethell with their home summer this year, handing the youngster debuts in both white-ball formats.
The board took it a step ahead, picking Bethell for the Test team touring New Zealand despite only 20 first-class matches before, averaging only 25.4 with the bat in County cricket and managing only seven wickets.
Beyond the numbers, just as the England management would have envisaged, Bethell made a successful debut in England’s win eight-wicket win in the first Test in Christchurch. He bowled only one over with the ball and managed 10 in the first innings. However, batting at three, the 21-year-old scored an unbeaten 50 off 37 balls with eight fours and one six (38 runs in boundaries) as England chased down 104 in only 12.4 overs.
"A hell of a lot of fun yeah (the second innings with the bat). And to walk off with Rooty (Joe Root, his batting partner) at the end there was pretty special,” Bethell said.
"To come out in the second innings and have a chance to walk off with an England win was at the forefront of my mind and luckily I was able to do that,” he added.
The fact that England batted Bethell at three is another testament to their trust in Bethell’s capabilities. He had batted a heavy majority of his innings in the County Championship at number six or seven and this time was the first time he batted at three in red-ball cricket, straight in a Test match. Ollie Pope, England’s incumbent number three had to move down the order after taking the gloveman duties with Jordan Cox and Jamie Smith unavailable for different reasons. Bethell said he was looking for an opportunity to bat up the order.
"I like batting up the order so, yeah, I was really happy that opportunity arose. I've always wanted to bat in the top four so three is perfect,” he said.
"I think my game is fit to play any style. On Sunday (final day of the Test), we saw a bit more of an attacking style. I can also absorb a bit of pressure, so I'm sure at times in my career there will be times to do that as well,” he added.
The Barbados-born said he has enjoyed the backing from the ECB and reckons he has gotten better as he has played at a higher level.
"Pretty much every time I've played against better people, I've played better. Step up to the Hundred, played better. Straight into internationals, played better. I didn't really have a doubt in my mind that coming into Test cricket that I'd have done well,” he said about his source of confidence.
Bethell’s career will continue moving ahead in the fifth gear post this series. He will be headed to Australia to represent Melbourne Renegades in his maiden Big Bash (BBL) stint. Last week, he was signed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for INR 2.6 crore in the 2025 IPL mega auction. RCB looked keen on him, too, beating the Punjab and Hyderabad franchises in bidding wars to secure Bethell.
Bethell will rub shoulders with his England teammates Liam Livingstone and Phil Salt in the RCB dressing room, but he is looking forward to sharing it with Virat Kohli.
"It's a bit of a given, isn't it? Virat! He's a great of the game so… King Kohli.
“Any kind of overseas player that's gone over there has come back with a wealth of experience,” Bethell said further of his prospects in IPL.
"It's everything I've dreamed of, to be honest," Bethell began to conclude on his Test debut. "Since I was a little kid I've always dreamed of playing Test cricket, I remember watching the Ashes, and just any England Tests on TV and wanting to be a part of it. Then since Baz (Brendon McCullum) took over with Stokesy (skipper Ben Stokes), I've always watched it on TV and gone 'how fun does that look' and it lived up to expectation. It was so fun,” the southpaw said.
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