# Jacob Bethell

Jacob Graham Bethell (born 23 October 2003) is an English cricketer who plays domestic cricket for Warwickshire, and international cricket for England. Bethell was born in Barbados and moved to Warwickshire, England, when he was 12. He made his Warwickshire Twenty20 debut on 20 June 2021, in the 2021 T20 Blast. He made his England Twenty20 debut on 11 September 2024, against Australia at the Rose Bowl, Southampton. On 9 November 2024 he scored 58 not out in his third T20I match, against West Indies, in his birth country of Barbados, in so doing becoming the youngest Englishman to score a 50 in a T20 international, at the age of 21 years and 17 days.

## Early life

Bethell was born and raised in Barbados, where his family had a long involvement with cricket. His grandfather, Arthur Bethell, played first-class cricket for the national side. He attended Harrison College, whose alumni include Sir Clyde Walcott and Sir Pelham Warner, and was awarded player of the tournament in the West Indies Under-15 competition in 2017. By this stage he had already earned a scholarship at Rugby School, where he was coached by their director of cricket and former Warwickshire captain Mike Powell. In 2021, he scored 202 in the first innings of Rugby School’s annual two-day fixture against Marlborough College, a modern day record.

## Domestic career

Bethell played cricket with Warwickshire from a young age, and signed a three-year professional contract with them in January 2021. Former Warwickshire captain and England cricketer Ian Bell described him as "the best 17-year old" he had ever seen.
He made his List A debut in the 2021 One-Day Cup, for Warwickshire against Glamorgan at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff on 22 July. He made his first-class debut on 12 September 2021 at Headingley, for Warwickshire against Yorkshire in the County Championship.
In April 2022, Welsh Fire paid £30,000 to add Bethell to their squad for that year's season of the Hundred.
In July 2023, he was drafted into The Hundred by the Birmingham Phoenix.
He took his maiden first-class wicket on 15 April 2024 at Edgbaston, for Warwickshire against Durham in the County Championship. On 19 December 2024, he made his Big Bash debut at GMHBA Stadium, Geelong.

## International career

In September 2021, Bethell was named as the joint-captain of the England under-19 cricket team for their series against the West Indies. Bethell was named vice-captain of England's team for the 2022 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies, where he scored 88 from 42 balls in the side's quarter final victory over South Africa. In December 2022, he was selected for the England U-19s to play Australia in January 2023, under head coach Michael Yardy.
Bethell made his senior international debut at Southampton on 11 September 2024, in the first game of a three-match T20 series against Australia. In the second fixture at Cardiff on 14 September, he scored a "match-winning" 44 of from 24 balls. On 28 October, he was named in the Test squad for England's tour of New Zealand in November and December. He subsequently made his Test match debut against New Zealand on 28 November 2024 and scored 50 not out off 37 balls in England's second innings as they won by eight wickets. This was the joint second-fastest debut Test half-century by an England batter.