Jacob Bethell

Jacob Bethell, born and raised in Barbados but a fine all-rounder for England, comes from a sporting family. He is an explosive left-handed batter who can bowl some useful left-arm spin as well. His grandfather, Arthur Bethell, played first-class cricket for Barbados. Bethell's talent was evident from a very young age when he was awarded Player of the Tournament in the West Indies U-15 competition in 2017.

In 2021, he smashed 202 in the first innings of Rugby School's annual two-day fixture against Marlborough College. He played at the youth levels for Warwickshire and made his first-class debut in 2021. He also played his first List A and T20 games in the same year and was described as 'the best 17-year-old' by former England great Ian Bell. He also represented his country in the 2022 U-19 World Cup, where they reached the final, and he scored a brilliant 88 off just 42 balls in the quarter-final against South Africa.

In 2024, Bethell made his senior England debut in the T20I series against Australia. He announced himself in style in the first game, smashing 44 off just 24 balls, including blasting 20 runs in an Adam Zampa over and getting his side over the line. His excellent performances earned him a call-up to the Test squad for the series against New Zealand.

His talent was recognised around the world as well, and he was picked up by Melbourne Renegades, Paarl Royals, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru for their respective franchise leagues. Bethell was also named in England's squad for the white-ball tour of India and the 2025 Champions Trophy. However, he suffered a hamstring injury in the first ODI in Nagpur, ruling him out for the remainder of the series and the Champions Trophy that followed.

Later in the year, he led England in a T20I series in Ireland, and the decision to hand him the captaincy in the absence of Harry Brook spoke volumes about how highly he was rated. Bethell thus became one of the youngest players to captain England. Then came the Ashes, one of the biggest challenges for the young left-hander. Much had been said about his selection in Tests despite not having a first-class century, until he produced a scintillating 154 in the fifth Test in Sydney to silence his critics.

That was one of the highlights in what was otherwise a tough tour for England. Bethell went into the T20 World Cup as Harry Brook’s deputy and, while it was a mixed bag for him overall, he nearly helped England pull off a remarkable chase of 254 with a swashbuckling century in the semifinal against India. It was his first T20I hundred, and he became the youngest England batter to score centuries in all three formats.

In his maiden IPL season for RCB, Bethell had just two outings in their title-winning campaign before leaving the squad for national duties. He made his mark with a half-century against CSK, offering a glimpse of his talent, and it came as no surprise that the 2025 champions retained him after what he went on to achieve post the IPL season.

His reputation was further enhanced when Birmingham Phoenix appointed Bethell as captain for the 2026 season of The Hundred, having picked Jacob as their pre-signing ahead of the auction.