Jacob Bethell: Young and aggressive left-handed batter from England

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I watched his batting, and he is impressive. 21 years old Jacob Bethell, on debut, struck eight fours and a six in a 37-ball fifty to headline England's second-inning chase of 104 in their series-opening win in Christchurch; second Test vs New Zealand in Wellington from December 6.

England’s 21-year-old batter Jacob Bethell played at number three for the first time in his first-class career on Test debut against New Zealand in Christchurch this week.

All you need to know about Jacob Bethell
Jacob Bethell is a promising young cricketer, who was born in the Caribbean island of Barbados. He has lately received recognition for his international cricket performances, having made his T20I debut for England against Australia on September 11, 2024. Bethell is an all-rounder renowned for his aggressive hitting style and left-arm orthodox spin bowling. In T20 cricket, he has a strike rate of 137.57. Meanwhile, Jacob Bethell was also picked for Rs. 2.60 crore by Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the IPL 2025 Mega Auction last week.

 

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England and Warwickshire batter Jacob Bethell has been awarded an England Men’s Central Contract upgrade. The 21-year-old, who made his Test debut last week during England’s first Test victory over New Zealand in Christchurch, has signed a two-year contract running until September 2026.

 

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Sir Alastair Cook tips Jacob Bethell to keep England spot: ‘It is down to him’​

Jacob Bethell has already shown the composure needed to cement a long-term spot in England’s Test top order, according to former captain Sir Alastair Cook.

After wicketkeeper Jordan Cox broke his thumb ahead of the series opener against New Zealand in Christchurch, 21-year-old Bethell was drafted in for an unplanned Test debut with Ollie Pope deputising behind the stumps.

Having made 10 in the first innings, Bethell crafted an unbeaten 50 from just 37 balls to help Ben Stokes’ side close out an impressive eight-wicket victory at Hagley Oval.

England have opted to name an unchanged XI in Wellington, with Pope set to retain the gloves for the second Test on Thursday.

Bethell had never batted at three in a brief first-class career comprising just 20 matches, with a modest average of 25.44 and has never scored a professional century.

Nevertheless, in a move to tie up his long-term future, Bethell has also seen his low-key developmental deal upgraded to a two-year central contract by the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Cook scored 12,472 runs, with 33 centuries, from 161 Tests, captaining the team in 59 matches. His long-standing leading run record was surpassed by Joe Root during the series in Pakistan in October.

Former Essex batter Cook, who retired from playing at the end of the 2023 domestic season, feels Bethell has already shown he does have the temperament needed to make the number-three spot his own.

“I was impressed. It was an encouraging start,” TNT Sports’ cricket expert Cook said.

“I particularly liked how he gutsed it out in the first innings and in the second innings, we kind of (saw) that was why he was picked for the white ball (team), with his array of shots.

“I liked his composure under some seriously good bowling. There is a huge amount of growth there, without a doubt.

“He is nowhere near the finished article. We keep going back to the fact he hasn’t scored hundreds in professional cricket, which I think is only a matter of time.

“But it is important that we kind of understand where we are with him. He has been thrown into this situation because of the bit of bad luck for Jordan Cox.

“England probably wanted to see him in red ball training before they played, but he has been given a chance and it is all about taking the chance when you get thrown in there.

“If you take that first (T20) game he played (in September) against Australia out, he has looked at home in international cricket straight away.

“He plays the situation in front of him and is not overawed by what is going on, so then immediately you are looking at a guy and going ‘well, he has got a real good chance of making this for a long time’.”

I liked his composure under some seriously good bowling. There is a huge amount of growth there, without a doubt

Sir Alastair Cook on Jacob Bethell
Cook feels Barbados-born left-hander Bethell can lay down another marker with a strong performance in the second Test against the Black Caps.

“Ben Stokes has said that when Jamie Smith comes back, he will take the gloves and so Ollie Pope will go back up to three – but if Jacob scores 100 in the next couple of games, it changes that,” Cook said.

“If you have got possession of the shirt, it is all in your hands really.

“It is down to him, and if he delivers for him, personally that is brilliant obviously, but more importantly, if he delivers for England, then it is very hard to leave out a guy who scores runs.”

Sir Alastair Cook tips Jacob Bethell to keep England Test spot

The 21-year-old was drafted in for an unplanned Test debut in Christchurch and has retained his place at number three

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Jacob Bethell form gives Brendon McCullum selection ‘headache’​

Brendon McCullum admits Jacob Bethell has given England a selection dilemma, leaving vice-captain Ollie Pope battling to keep his spot.

Bethell made a compelling first impression during his first Test series in New Zealand, hitting three stylish half-centuries in as many games, and the 21-year-old looks every inch a rising star.

And while that is a huge positive for an England setup which has made a point of promoting young talent, it could force a tricky decision next summer.

Bethell was only given his chance at number three after an injury to Jordan Cox left England short of a wicketkeeper, with Pope agreeing to step in and slide down the order.

But with Jamie Smith set to reclaim the gloves following the birth of his first child, Bethell and Pope could be vying for one place next year.

Captain Ben Stokes has previously stated that Pope would go straight back in at three, a role where he has enjoyed sporadic highs and several lean spells, but Bethell’s knocks of 50 not out, 96 and 76 appear to have made things less certain.

“He’s definitely given us a good headache but we’ve got a couple of months to work out what we’re doing. It’s good problem to have,” said McCullum.

“We were all a little unsure whether Beth could play at three when we asked him to do it but we saw the talent in him and he has performed very well against a very good bowling line-up. He has a nice bit of class about him.

“He’s very meticulous with his preparation and planning which then lets his flair and creativity show on the big stage. We couldn’t be more happy with what he has achieved in this series and I think he has shown that international cricket is for him.

He's definitely given us a good headache - Brendon McCullum on Jacob Bethell

“Popey has done really well for us too and to have Beth there as well, you are adding some depth to your batting stocks. They are good decisions and we will not make them in the next few days, when we get together again in a few months’ time we will work all that stuff out.”

England would not want to cut Pope loose after a year that saw him lead the team four times in Stokes’ absence, but a modest average of 33.13 in 2024 does leave him vulnerable.

Opener Zak Crawley has been even lighter on runs, averaging 27.80 in the past 12 months and a torturous 8.66 against New Zealand to end the year on a sour note.

He was dismissed six times out of six by the relentless Matt Henry and showed signs that the pressure was getting to him in Hamilton, reacting with visible annoyance after being given lbw by umpire Adrian Holdstock.

But faith in Crawley appears resolute and there is no suggestion that Bethell’s emergence will put him in jeopardy.

“Zak is disappointed with how many runs he scored on this trip but he’s got our full confidence. He knows at his best he wins us games,” said McCullum.

“He does believe in himself, absolutely. He just hasn’t quite got himself in rhythm. He’s still a huge member of this side and he’ll have some time to freshen up now.

“The last two guys to nail the position are now Sirs (Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook), so it’s not an easy position to do at the top of the order in England.”

After two-and-a-half-years in charge of the Test team, McCullum begins work as England’s all-format coach in January. He has been tasked with re-energising a white-ball team that underperformed under Matthew Mott and it is a challenge he is ready to embrace.

“I’m excited by it. There’s not too many times in life you take things on with some meat on the bone and that’s why I took on the Test job initially,” he said.

“The talent that sits in England is immense. There is something there to work with. Get it right and we could achieve some pretty cool stuff over the next couple of years.”

Jacob Bethell form gives Brendon McCullum selection ‘headache’

Bethell made three half-centuries in New Zealand to put pressure on vice-captain Ollie Pope’s England place.

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