Jacob Bethell has played 12 ODIs and 13 T20s for England
Jacob Bethell is poised to become the youngest captain in England’s international cricket history, with the 21-year-old set to lead a depleted T20 squad on a tour of Ireland this September.
With regular white-ball captain Harry Brook and other prominent England players being rested, the all-rounder Bethell has been entrusted with the leadership for the three T20s in Dublin, despite limited playing opportunities this summer.
Monty Bowden, at 23 years and 144 days old when he captained England in a Test against South Africa in 1889, currently holds the record as the youngest international captain.
“It was obviously great news to hear,” Bethell told BBC Sport.
“The first feeling was pride. It’s not really sunk in yet. It’s only been a few hours.
“I am looking forward to it and it’ll be a huge honour to lead the team against Ireland.”
Before the Ireland tour, a full-strength England team will participate in three one-day internationals and three T20s against South Africa.
Hampshire bowler Sonny Baker has received his first call-up for the ODI series against South Africa and the T20 trip to Ireland.
Baker has made a strong impression with his fast bowling in The Hundred, claiming four wickets in four matches for Manchester Originals so far.
Fast bowler Mark Wood has been omitted from all squads, remaining sidelined since February following knee surgery.
His absence, initially aiming for a return in the fifth Test against India, raises concerns given his significance to England’s Ashes hopes this winter. A setback has prolonged his recovery.
England has stated that Wood’s winter schedule is the priority, though his recovery is taking longer than anticipated. Bowler Gus Atkinson has also been excluded.
Brydon Carse, who opted out of The Hundred to manage his workload, is included among the pace options for the South Africa ODI matches, alongside Jofra Archer, Baker, Jamie Overton, and Saqib Mahmood.
Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed, who has also impressed domestically this summer, has been recalled to the squads which will be led by batter Brook.
Phil Salt is set to rejoin the T20 squads for the South Africa and Ireland series following paternity leave.
Despite holding central contracts, all-rounders Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone remain excluded, even from the Ireland series, while Brook, Archer, Carse, Joe Root, Ben Duckett, and Jamie Smith are rested.
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England ODI squad for South Africa: Harry Brook (capt), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Sonny Baker, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler (wk), Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk).
England T20 squad for South Africa: Harry Brook (capt), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler (wk), Brydon Carse, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith (wk), Luke Wood.
England T20 squad for Ireland: Jacob Bethell (capt), Rehan Ahmed, Sonny Baker, Tom Banton, Jos Buttler (wk), Liam Dawson, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt (wk), Luke Wood.
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The decision to appoint Bethell as captain for the Ireland series reflects a significant vote of confidence.
England holds the all-rounder in high regard – he scored fifties in each of his first three Tests last year – though he is yet to reach a century in professional cricket.
His previous captaincy experience includes roles with England Under-19s and Warwickshire’s second XI, but he has never captained at the senior level.
While Bethell will become England’s youngest captain in an international, Alfred “Bunny” Lucas remains their youngest skipper in any match – having led an “unrepresentative” side against Gloucestershire aged just 20 in 1877.
“Jacob has impressed with his leadership qualities ever since he has been with the England squads and the series against Ireland will provide him with the opportunity to further develop those skills on the international stage,” selector Luke Wright said.
Bethell added: “I do try and lead by example but coming into the team as a youngster, you sometimes feel like it doesn’t really have much of an impact.
“But it’s nice to see they believe in what I can do and hopefully I can go out and show that I can.”
Bethell’s summer has been inconsistent. He missed the one-off Test against Zimbabwe while at the Indian Premier League, with Ollie Pope reclaiming the number three position in his absence.
He then played three ODIs and three T20s against West Indies from late May but was an unused member of England’s squad for the first four Tests against India.
When he was called in for the fifth Test after an injury to Ben Stokes, he had only played one red-ball match this year and returned scores of six and five.
He had a high score of eight in his first three Hundred matches but returned to form with 48 on Friday against Northern Superchargers.
Rather than selecting him for South Africa and Ireland, another option might have been for Bethell to play in Warwickshire’s three County Championship matches in September as preparation for the Ashes, for which he is still expected to travel.
Instead, he will have only played 25 first-class matches in his career by the time the Ashes begins.
September
2 1st ODI, Headingley (d/n) (13:00 BST)
4 2nd ODI, Lord’s (d/n) (13:00 BST)
7 3rd ODI, Utilita Bowl, Southampton (11:00 BST)
10 1st Twenty20 international, Cardiff (d/n) (18:30 BST)
12 2nd Twenty20 international, Emirates Old Trafford (d/n) (18:30 BST)
14 3rd Twenty20 international, Trent Bridge (14:30 BST)
September
17 1st ODI, Malahide (13:30 BST)
19 2nd ODI, Malahide (13:30 BST)
21 3rd ODI, Malahide (13:30 BST)
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