England have named Jacob Bethell as captain for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland. Following Jos Buttler’s removal from the role, Harry Brook was initially appointed as captain but has been rested for the Ireland tour. In Brook’s absence,Jacob Bethell will take charge of a squad that includes several senior players, including Buttler himself, along with Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, and Liam Dawson.
With that, Jacob Bethell will also become the youngest ever cricketer to lead England in international cricket. The 21-year-old Jacob Bethell has played 13 T20I matches for the national team, scoring 281 runs at a strike rate of 154.39. The youngster also has four wickets to his name in the shortest format of the game.
The England Cricket Board (ECB) on Friday (August 15) appointed Jacob Bethell as the T20I captain for the three-match series against Ireland. An all-format player since his debut, Bethell will lead the team in place of Harry Brook. The England white-ball captain will take a break after the South Africa series.
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.
Jacob Bethell the youngest English skipper
Jacob 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.
Jacob 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.
Young and upcoming all-rounder Jacob Bethell has been named the captain of the England team for their 3-match T20I tour of Ireland. Bethell, the stylish left-handed batter who bowls a little bit of spin, is set to become the youngest captain in the history of the country. At just 21 years and 329 days of age, Jacob Bethell is set to lead the side in the absence of Harry Brook, who has been rested for the 3-match series against Ireland. The short tour starts on August 17 and concludes on August 21.
England Squad For Ireland T20Is : Jacob Bethell (c), Rehan Ahmed, Sonny Baker, Tom Banton, Jos Buttler, Liam Dawson, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Luke Wood.
Once Jacob Bethell comes out to captain England on August 17, he will become the youngest to lead his country by a considerable margin. In the modern era, players like Sir Alastair Cook, Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler were handed captaincy quite early in their career, but all three of them were at least over the age of 24. In that list, Alastair Cook was the youngest to lead the side, when he took over the captaincy aged 24 years and 325 days.
Youngest England Men’s Captains
Jacob Bethell: 21 years, 329 days
Monty Parker Bowden: 23 years, 144 days
Ivo Bligh: 23 years, 292 days
Alastair Cook: 24 years, 325 days
Eoin Morgan: 24 years, 349 days
Stuart Broad: 25 years, 1 day
Jos Buttler: 25 years, 60 days
England’s ODI skipper Harry Brook has showered praise on Bethell, stating that he has been a leader in the side and impressed the management. The show of trust in Bethell is aimed at giving him an opportunity to develop his skills.
Harry Brook praises Jacob Bethell and Rehan Ahmad ahead of English white ball tours in 2025
England captain Harry Brook hailed young all-rounders Rehan Ahmed and Jacob Bethell for their recent performances, calling the former a “fantastic talent who has risen to the occasion”, while pointing out Bethell’s potential to be an “aggressive” captain for England.
Brook will be rested during the three-match T20I series against Ireland in September, with Bethell, 21 years of age, set to become England’s youngest captain in international cricket. On the other hand, Rehan has gained acclaim for his fine performances with bat and ball in the County Championship and The Hundred.
Speaking of Bethell, as quoted by Sky Sports, Brook said that he has “great potential” to be a future captain for England.
“He thinks very well about the game and is always trying to move it forward, like I am. We think similar. I think he will be an aggressive captain. He is always looking to put opposition batters and bowlers under pressure. That is what we have asked for, and he does that in abundance,” he added.
The 21-year-old has enjoyed a solid stint across all formats since taking his debut caps in all of them last year, having scored 869 runs so far at an average of 37.78 with eight fifties in 30 innings and a best score of 96. With the ball, he has taken 14 wickets at an average of 32.00, having best figures of 3/72.
So far in The Hundred competition, Jacob Bethell has not been in the best of the form, scoring 80 runs in five innings, with recent knocks of 48 and 18* marking an improvement in his stats after a series of low scores for Birmingham Phoenix.
Brook also gave his high praise to Rehan, a spin bowling all-rounder, who is featured in white-ball squads to face South Africa after a fruitful domestic season, which saw him bat as a number three for Leicestershire in the ongoing County Championship. He scored 760 runs in 10 matches and 16 innings at an average of 50.66, with five centuries and a fifty at a healthy strike rate of over 75, while also snapping 23 wickets at an average of 19.00, with best figures of 7/93 and two five-wicket hauls.
For England, he has taken 44 wickets in 21 international matches, with his last international outing coming against the West Indies last year.
Brook spoke on the 21-year-old Rehan, “He is a fantastic talent and has gone up a level this year with the bat. I am glad he is batting in the top three for Rockets as well.
“He has been given good opportunities and risen to the occasion, while he is skilled with the ball and good in the field, which is what we look for. He has all three attributes to be a very good player,” he concluded.
In the ongoing The Hundred tournament, Rehan has scored 114 runs in five matches at an average of 28.50, with a best score of 45*, while also taking five wickets at an average of above 17, emerging as a handy all-round option for Trent Rockets.
England squads for the rest of the white-ball summer
ODI series vs South Africa: Harry Brook (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Sonny Baker, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jamie Smith.
T20 series vs South Africa: Harry Brook (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Luke Wood.
Jacob Bethell has an experience of only 13 T20Is, where he has scored 281 runs and taken 4 wickets. He has played in the Indian Premier League as well, for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Jacob Bethell will create history and break England’s 136-year-old record when he makes his captaincy debut against Ireland. He will lead the two-time T20 World Champions in three T20Is to be played on September 17, 19 and 21 in Dublin.
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