Jacob Bethell pulls off the hip © Getty Images
Jacob Bethell was born and raised in Barbados but is set to make his Under-19 international debut against West Indies this week, after being named as one of England’s captains for a six-match one-day series.
Bethell, a spin-bowling allrounder, grew up in the Caribbean and studied at both Harrison College in Barbados and Rugby School in the UK. He quickly became part of Warwickshire’s age-group system, signing a professional deal with them at the start of this year and has since made first-team debuts in both the T20 Blast and Royal London Cup.
Bethell will split the captaincy duties with Tom Prest, the Hampshire batter who made 303 in the Second XI Championship earlier this summer and top-scored in last week’s dramatic Blast quarter-final win against Nottinghamshire.
England’s Under-19s have not played since they won the plate at the World Cup in January-February 2020 and this series will be their first under Richard Dawson, who was appointed as the ECB’s elite performance pathway coach earlier this year.
Other notable inclusions in the squad are Sussex’s Danial Ibrahim and Archie Lenham, both of whom recently turned 17 but have made regular first-team appearances in the County Championship and Blast respectively this season, Somerset seamer Sonny Baker, and Northants batter James Sales – the son of club legend David.
“I’m excited to see the group in action and to see how they fare against their international peers,” Dawson said. “It’s a big opportunity for the players, and it’s their first step on the international pathway.
“It’s testament to the quality of our young players that we may lose a few during the series, should they be called into their county’s first-team squad. We’ll be communicating and collaborating with the counties throughout and we’ve selected a group to cover that eventuality, and we’re looking forward to getting going.”
West Indies announced an 18-man touring party last week, with Ackeem Auguste due to captain the side and Giovonte Depeiza as his deputy. The six-match series runs from September 4-17, with the fixtures split between Beckenham and the Polo Farm ground in Canterbury.
England Under-19s squad: Jacob Bethell, Tom Prest (captains), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Aspinwall, Sonny Baker, Nathan Barnwell, George Bell, Josh Boyden, James Coles, Alex Horton, Dan Ibrahim, Archie Lenham, Will Luxton, Harry Petrie, James Rew, James Sales, Fateh Singh, George Thomas
West Indies Under-19s squad: Ackeem Auguste (captain), Giovonte Depeiza (vice-captain), Onaje Amory, Anderson Amurdan, Justin Beckford, Teddy Bishop, Carlon Bowen-Tuckett, McKenny Clarke, Rivaldo Clarke, Nathan Edward, Andel Gordon, Sion Hackett, Justin Jagessar, Johann Layne, Anderson Mahase, Matthew Nandu, Isai Thorne, Vasant Singh
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo