Jacob Bethell is the name on everyone's lips, despite England losing their T20 World Cup semi-final to India in Mumbai.
England had grown into the tournament and were hitting some of their best form as they came up against the juggernaut of India, who were buoyed by a packed-out Wankhede stadium and home conditions.
Put into bat, they set England a daunting 254 to win thanks to Sanju Samson’s 89 from 42 balls. A seemingly insurmountable total, one that most teams wouldn’t get near, but Bethell had other ideas.
Playing practically a lone hand, he struck a scintillating 105 of 48 balls to keep England in the hunt right throughout the chase. Unfortunately, an insurmountable total it proved to be, but in making that hundred, Bethell created his own piece of history in Mumbai.
He became the youngest England player in history to score a century in all three international formats, and followed up his remarkable maiden Test century at Sydney in the last Ashes Test match.
You can understand why he was such a hot topic for players, pundits and coaches following the match.
England captain Harry Brook said: “He’s going to have a hell of a career with England. He’s shown the world how good he is tonight. Unfortunately, we ended up on the wrong side, but that innings is an extremely big positive to take away from the tournament.
“It was great to see him going out there in the manner that he did, going after them from ball one, and showing the world what he can do.”
England Head Coach Brendon McCullum talked at length about the ‘special talent’ that Bethell is and how, despite his age, he has become a leader in the group.
“It was a punt when Beth was introduced into international cricket,” McCullum said. “Everyone knew he had the talent, but he probably didn’t have the results to back it up.
“But, along with the selectors and Rob Key, they backed him as a special talent, and they did a lot of homework and identified him as a special player for the future.
“You don’t often expect to get as quick a delivery on that skill and talent when you arrive at international cricket, but to score a hundred in all three formats in the last 12 months, in pressure situations – a hundred in an Ashes Test and a hundred in a World Cup Semi-final – he’s a special talent.
“He’s young in age, but he’s incredibly mature. Yes, he’s got the blonde hair and the gold jewellery, but he’s well planned and prepared. He’s still got to grow, but to show how tough he is and put in the performance he has done, he’s a special talent that we need to keep harnessing.
“He’s also a leader within the side, too. We gave him the responsibility to stand up and captain (in Ireland) the team at such a young age, and he really stepped up. I think that’s given him the confidence to see that he is respected as a leader within this group.”
Amongst the British media, the praise couldn’t be greater.
Phil Walker, Chief Editor of Wisden Cricketer, said, “The purest demonstration of a complete white-ball knock that I’ve seen”
“The control and clarity in his mind were frightening. The level of composure he demonstrated during the innings was off the limits from what I’ve seen.”
Nasser Hussain on Sky Sports said: “You can see why England were raving about this young man. To play an innings like that was special.”
Steven Finn on TMS said: “Jacob Bethell is quite ridiculous. The management and selectors told us that they saw something in him when he was first put in the squad.
“He is calm under pressure, he is calculated. The way he handles situations belies the years he actually has playing the game. He looks like someone who will go on to play international cricket for a long time.”
Henry Moeran on the TMS podcast said, “The 105 from Jacob Bethell is an astonishing effort. He played supremely well, given the pressure that was on, the wickets had fallen, and he was able to keep the run rate up.
“It was a brilliant, brilliant performance.”
It isn’t just from the English players and press, but his Indian counterparts were specific in noting the pressure that Bethell put them under.
India’s player of the match, Sanju Samson, said: “We knew England would go hard at us in the powerplay, but when three wickets fell in that phase, then I thought, okay, now the game is in our control. But the way Bethell batted, I felt no, it’s still possible. They needed 13 runs an over. They were getting two boundaries every over. It was getting very easy for them in the middle overs.”
It’s been a coming-of-age six months for Bethell. In scoring centuries in all three international formats, he has catapulted himself into the forefront of the global cricket sphere, and with his stock growing by the second, there’s no knowing how far he might rise.
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