Another that got away

On Saturday, England will play in the final of the U19s Men’s World Cup for the first time since they won it in 1998. And in all-rounder Jacob Bethell, they possess one of the players of the tournament.

Bethell’s majestic innings of 88 off just 42 deliveries in England’s quarter-final win against South Africa had plaudits pouring in from around the cricketing world.

It was a statement knock from the 18-year-old, who announced himself on the global stage with a stunning array of shots.

His half-century off 20 balls got England off to a flyer in what could otherwise have been a tricky run-chase at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.

A strike-rate of 209.52 was the highest for any Englishman in an innings of at least 50 runs in U19 World Cup history.

“I always look to try and start positively and give the team a good start. After I got a few out of the middle of the bat, I realised that I was seeing the ball pretty well. It was just one of those days where nothing was premeditated,” said Bethell.

Barbados-born Bethell grew up learning the trade with influences from great Bajan names like Franklyn Stephenson and Sir Garfield Sobers.

In fact, the youngster was once recognised as one of the top prospects of cricket in the Caribbean by Brian Lara, who after watching him bat remarked: “You are better than I was when I was 11.”

He spent time as a young kid at Stephenson’s academy working on his technique and frequently speaks with Sobers at his home or during the occasional round of golf.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to have chats with Garry Sobers, which have been momentous in terms of the mental side of things. He always just tells me to give myself a chance and most of the time when I’m walking out to bat, I’m thinking like that,” says Bethell.

Bethell’s trajectory towards English cricket is not too dissimilar to those of current England internationals Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer and Phil Salt, who all spent time growing up on the island.

Like Bethell, Jordan and Archer were born in the Caribbean, with Jordan receiving a sporting scholarship to complete his education in England. Jordan then assisted Archer to make the move.

Archer, who holds British citizenship through his father, played for West Indies at U19s level.

He made the decision to move to England and make himself available for selection, before winning the 2019 World Cup with England.

Salt spent six years in Barbados between the ages of nine and 15 and pinpointed that as the time when cricket became his focus, before he also received a cricket scholarship in England.

The Lancashire batter played age-group cricket in Barbados and qualified for West Indies through citizenship.

Bethell is another talent who has chosen to play for England because of the abundance of opportunities in the UK, as opposed to Barbados. He admitted it was a tough decision, but the right one in the end.

“I was born in Barbados, I lived there untill I was 13, my parents still live there now. It’s not a bad place to grow up, the weather’s always nice and the people are lovely. It’s just a shame that the opportunities get less and less after around the ages of 13 to 15,” Bethell said.

“There were definitely players out there that had a bit about them, but they no longer play much as there wasn’t really much cricket to play. It is a bit of a shame.”

That love for cricket within Bethell was instilled from childhood and is something that runs in the family.

His father and grandfather played first-class cricket for Barbados while his father, Graham, also captained a Sheffield Collegiate side that included Matt Root, father of England men’s Test captain, Joe.

His ambitions and passions were set in stone from a young age. Bethell would wake his mum up as a kid and ask her to bowl at him.

He joked in an official ICC video that “she’s become quite good at the old underarms”.

His boyhood ambition was fulfilled last year when he signed for Warwickshire and made his debut across all three formats.

Former England batter Ian Bell labelled Bethell as “the best 17-year-old” he had ever seen and cited his emergence as one of the factors that contributed to his own retirement.

Put simply, he didn’t want to stop young players from coming through.

In the World Cup, Bethell’s performances at the top of the order have vindicated such praise: 203 runs at an average of 41 and a strike-rate of 110 have helped catapult England to their first final since 1998.

“It’d be a dream wouldn’t it?” said Bethell, on what it would mean to win the World Cup

“Me and a couple of the lads were playing golf the other day and we just hinted at the fact that it [winning the World Cup] could be a possibility and all of us got goosebumps.

“It’s amazing to get this far and there’s still a couple of stepping stones left to get there, but hopefully, come 5 February, we’ll be bringing it home. It’d be a dream come true.” (BBC)