Jacob Bethell said he felt “far away” from the England set-up earlier this year – and has put his explosion onto the international scene down to his standout Bears displays during the summer.
The Warwickshire all-rounder was called into the senior England side for the first time for September’s white ball series against Australia.
He made a statement start to his international career, smashing 44 off 24 balls in the second IT20, and went on to play in all five ODIs.
And his remarkable rise in 2024 has been completed with a surprise call-up to England’s Test party that will tour New Zealand in November and December.
“I felt quite far away from the England set-up coming into this season,” said Bethell, speaking from his family home in Barbados ahead of England’s tour of the West Indies. “That was quite a big driver for me.
“My first goal last season was to be fit and cement my place in the Warwickshire team. That was point one.
“But doing things consistently and carrying on the performances for the Bears led to where I am now. It definitely has happened quickly. I knew there had been eyes on me, from chats I’ve had, so it was just a matter of putting in performances to show people I can do it.”
Bethell joined Warwickshire’s Youth Pathway at Under-14s – having moved from Barbados to pursue his cricket dream – and quickly progressed into the Emerging Player Programme and Academy before signing as a 17-year-old in 2021.
The 21-year-old is looking forward to his first overseas tour with the senior England side following the solid start to his England career.
And he’s revealed how his childhood friends will be sitting firmly on the fence wearing Bethell England shirts, complete with West Indies hats!
He said: “Having a tour here has worked out well, and to have a couple of games where I grew up in Barbados is pretty special. I’ve been able to come over in advance, relax and catch up with people.
“Everyone I’ve seen since I’ve been back have said, yes I’ve got my tickets. There should be a good turnout cheering me on. My mates are saying they will try to get Bethell shirts but combine it with a West Indies hat! They will be sitting heavily on the fence.
“It’ll be a great trip. We’ve got some momentum, although we lost the last game against Australia, each game we played we felt we were getting better as a team.
“It’s my first overseas tour with the senior side so I’m going into it open minded and to get the most out of it. But all the Under 19s tours I’ve been on have been really fun, you spend a lot of time with your teammates so it’s a chance to get to know everyone more.
“I was happy with the way I played (against Australia), especially the T20s, to hit the ground running in terms of match winning performances, like I did with the Bears and Phoenix.
“Fifty-over stuff I did OK, nothing special, but I think there were glimpses with both bat and ball so it’s definitely a start. But hopefully a start to something much bigger.”
England’s 2025 summer of home internationals starts with a Test vs Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, followed by a first white ball game against the Windies at on Thursday 29 May at his home ground Edgbaston.
Bethell said he expected to be ready to play for Warwickshire next April at the start of the County Championship season.
He added: “I want to play a full part next year for Warwickshire. Hopefully I’ll be there and ready to play that first Championship game.
“At this current moment that’s what I’m looking at. If anything else does come up it means that things have gone well, I’ll have other opportunities which is also great.
“But Warwickshire is the foundation of where my cricket game developed so I want to play for the Bears as much as possible.”
West Indies v England – ODI Schedule
West Indies v England 1st ODI – North Sound – Sir Vivian Richards Stadium – Thu 31 Oct
West Indies v England 2nd ODI – North Sound – Sir Vivian Richards Stadium – Sat 02 Nov
West Indies v England 3rd ODI – Bridgetown – Kensington Oval – Wed 6 Nov
West Indies v England – T20 Schedule
West Indies v England 1st T20 – Bridgetown – Kensington Oval – Sat 09 Nov
West Indies v England 2nd T20 – Bridgetown – Kensington Oval – Sun 10 Nov
West Indies v England 3rd T20 – Gros Islet – Darren Sammy Cricket Ground – Thu 14 Nov
West Indies v England 4th T20 – Gros Islet – Darren Sammy Cricket Ground – Sat 16 Nov
West Indies v England 5th T20 – Gros Islet – Darren Sammy Cricket Ground – Sun 17 Nov
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