Garfield Sobers began his legendary West Indies career in Jamaica in 1954 as a 17-year-old on the card at No 9, while Steve Smith famously started out for Australia 14 years ago as a jack-in-the-box leg-spinner down at No 8.
But Jacob Bethell, aged 21, as Smith was at Lord’s, walked out last week as England’s No 3, Matt Henry and Tim Southee probing away with a cherry-ripe Kookaburra under cloud cover. For a player with a first-class average of 25 who had barely batted as high as No 4 for Warwickshire, it could have felt like a fever dream.
Bethell has a fair bit of a swagger about him, however. He may be fresh-faced and sporting a haircut borrowed from Happy Gilmore’s caddy, but he appears totally unfazed by the fast-tracking that made England’s eight-wicket win at Hagley Oval his third international debut across the formats in just 11 weeks.
Were there any doubts at all? “Nah,” came the reply, his unbeaten 50 from just 37 balls having steered England to victory on the fourth day. “Not at all really. Pretty much every time I’ve played against better people, I’ve played better. The step up to The Hundred? Played better. Straight into internationals? Played better. I didn’t really have a doubt in my mind that coming into Test cricket that I’d have done well.”
Was it a surprise to be slated at first-drop as part of a reshuffle that saw Ollie Pope keep wicket and slide down to No 6? “No,” he said, with a shrug. “I mean maybe a surprise [on one level], but I would have asked for it to be honest. I like batting up the order. So yeah, I was really happy that the opportunity arose.
“It was everything I dreamed of. Ever since I was a little kid I’ve always dreamed of playing Test cricket. I remember watching the 2010-11 Ashes and wanting to be a part of it. Since Baz [Brendon McCullum] took over, I’ve watched on TV and thought: ‘How fun does that look?’ and it lived up to the expectation.”
The answers sums up why England fancied Bethell was more than ready for the spotlight; more ready than those domestic numbers suggest. Beyond confidence, it was also the back-foot game that was honed as a bit of a tiddler growing in his native Barbados. “I didn’t really get a lot in my half up until I was about 16 or 17 and I got a bit bigger,” he explained, in an accent that is part Bridgetown, part Birmingham.
A takedown of Nathan Smith during the run chase – pulling and hooking his fellow debutant for 16 runs in a single over, then capping it off with a meaty hook on to the grass bank later on – displayed the power he has developed. Apparently it is now just a decision whether to keep the ball down or hit it for six.
Although it was that first-innings 10 from 33 balls, having walked out at nine for one in the fourth over, that impressed Ben Stokes more. Bethell’s stroll to square leg to reset himself between deliveries caught the eye of his captain; shades of another Warwickshire No3 in Jonathan Trott, perhaps, even if the style differs thereafter.
So does the experience that came before their respective Test debuts. Truth is, the flexibility of being a spin-bowling all-rounder means Bethell has struggled for a defined red-ball role at Edgbaston since his first-class debut in 2021, even if a question about why this might be was met with an intriguing: “Ah, we’re not going into that.”
Bethell though is very much a Bear, having been associated with the club since he first moved to England aged 13 on a scholarship at Rugby School. Sobers, a close family friend back in Barbados, gave his blessing to the switch at the time. And once the great man was on board, there was no looking back.
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Warwickshire, however, may not see Bethell for a while now, with his recent rise including a £256,000 contract to play for Royal Challengers Bangalore in next season’s Indian Premier League. It wipes out the first seven rounds of the County Championship, after which the international summer gets under way.
“I think it will do a lot for me,” said Bethell, before being asked who he is looking forward to playing alongside. “It’s a bit of a given, isn’t it!? Virat Kohli. He’s a great of the game – King Kohli. Any kind of young overseas player who has gone over has come back with a wealth of experience.”
Perhaps the question should be: is Kohli looking forward to playing alongside Jacob Bethell?
