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 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.
Jacob Bethell has impressed with leadership qualities- Luke Wright
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 men’s selector Luke Wright 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.
“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,” England men’s selector Luke Wright said in a statement shared via England and Wales Cricket Board.
England have also called up Sonny Baker for the white-ball series against South Africa at home and for the T20I series against Ireland. Reflecting upon that, Wright mentioned that he was highly impressive for England Lions in the last winter and capped that with consistent performances for Hampshire and Manchester Originals.
“Sonny is a player we have identified for a while and he was impressive during the England Lions tours last winter. He has carried that form into this season in white-ball cricket with Hampshire and Manchester Originals and deservedly gets his opportunity,” Wright said.
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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