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Jacob Bethell, 21, will be England’s youngest men’s cricket captain in the T20 series against Ireland next month. Despite limited experience, his leadership has impressed.
Young England star Jacob Bethell (PTI)
Jacob Bethell is poised to become England’s youngest international men’s cricket captain after the 21-year-old was named on Friday as the skipper for next month’s T20 international series in Ireland.
The talented Warwickshire all-rounder is viewed as one of the rising stars of English cricket, despite having yet to score his first professional century in any format.
Bethell has been appointed to lead England in a three-match T20 series against Ireland in Dublin, which will be part of the team’s preparations for next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
If all goes according to plan, he will set a record as England’s youngest men’s captain in an international match, surpassing Monty Bowden, who was 23 years and 144 days old when he led England in a Test against South Africa at Cape Town in the 1888/89 season.
Bethell has played in just four Test matches but has become a regular in white-ball cricket with 13 Twenty20 appearances and 12 one-day internationals since making his T20 debut in September last year.
Why Jacob Bethell Is England Captain?
“Jacob Bethell has impressed with his leadership qualities ever since he has been with the England squads and the series against Ireland will provide him with the opportunity to further develop those skills on the international stage,” said England selector Luke Wright.
Bethell’s most recent international appearance was in the fifth and deciding Test against India at the Oval earlier this month, where he replaced injured red-ball captain Ben Stokes. He managed scores of just six and five and did not take a wicket with his left-arm spin.
England lost the thrilling match by just six runs, as India ended the gripping five-Test series all square at 2-2.
However, former England captain Michael Vaughan criticised the team management’s decision to call up Bethell for such a crucial match given his limited first-class cricket this season.
“Jacob Bethell, this summer has faced 67 balls in red-ball cricket, he scored 32 runs,” said Vaughan on the Stick to Cricket podcast.
He added: “Surely, if you are trying to develop a young cricketer, you’ve got to give him time to go there and play cricket. So if it does come that he has to play, at least he has had a bit of game time.
“To throw a kid who’s 21 out at the Oval in front of 27,000 when the series is on the line on a pitch that is doing plenty against (Mohammed) Siraj. I thought it was diabolical. I thought it was unfair on the player.”
(With inputs from AFP)
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket content, ha…Read More
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket content, ha… Read More
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