Who is Jacob Bethell - 5 interesting facts about 20-year-old all-rounder set to be selected for Australia series
Jacob Bethell is reportedly set to earn his maiden call-up to England's white-ball squad for the upcoming series against Australia. As per The Guardian, ECB selectors have been weighing in options to replace the experienced players in the team.
The team management will reportedly look beyond players like Mooen Ali and Jonny Bairstow in white-ball matches soon, with youngsters set to take their places. One of the young players in the race to play for England is Jacob Bethell.
He is a 20-year-old all-rounder, who bats left-handed and bowls left-arm spin. Before Jacob receives his maiden call-up, here are five interesting facts about the youngster.
#1 Jacob Bethell was born in Barbados
England have a habit of picking players born outside the country in their national squad. The same trend will continue in the near future as well because the team's upcoming all-rounder Jacob Bethell was born in Barbados.
Bethell was born on October 23, 2003. He was raised in Barbados before he moved to England. At the time of writing, Bethell is 20 years and 308 days old.
#2 Jacob Bethell played for England U-19s in U-19 World Cup 2022
Two years ago, Bethell finished runners-up with England U-19s in the U-19 World Cup 2022. The all-rounder was an integral part of that squad, scoring 205 runs in six innings. Notably, he maintained an average of 34.16 and a strike rate of 108.46 in the tournament.
With the ball, Bethell picked up five wickets in six matches. He had an impressive economy rate of 4.02 runs per over, and he also bowled four maiden overs.
#3 Jacob Bethell has already represented 2 teams in Men's Hundred
The Hundred is the top T20 league in the United Kingdom. The league started in 2021, and the 20-year-old Bethell has already played for two teams. He made his debut for Welsh Fire in 2022, scoring 10 runs in two matches.
The following year, the Birmingham Phoenix team signed him in Men's Hundred. In a total of 10 appearances for Phoenix thus far, the 20-year-old has scored 166 runs but is yet to take a wicket.
#4 Bethell is yet to score a century or take a 5-wicket haul in domestic cricket
Bethell has the experience of playing 19 first-class matches and 16 List-A games in his domestic career so far. Interestingly, he has neither touched the triple-figure mark with the bat nor taken five wickets in an innings with the ball.
Talking about his List-A numbers, the all-rounder has scored 339 runs in 15 innings, registering three half-centuries. In the bowling department, he has taken 15 wickets in 11 innings, with his best figures being 4/36.
#5 Jacob Bethell's family
As mentioned earlier, Jacob grew up in Barbados, and in 2021, he celebrated Christmas with his family members in his home country. He shared pictures of the celebration.
The fourth photo of the above carousel features Jacob's family. He has a sister named Rebekkah. His relatives include Hailey Laurayne, who works as a junior doctor in the UK.