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Rising England all-rounder Jacob Bethell, set to become the youngest international cricket captain ever for his side during the first T20I against Ireland on Wednesday, remarked that he likes "things coming at a fast pace", referring to his rise in international cricket for England.
When England takes on Ireland in the first T20I of the three-match series at Dublin, Bethell will be heading out to the field as the youngest England captain ever at the age of 21 years and 330 days. Speaking ahead of the match, he said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo, "I like it when things come at a fast pace." It was an year ago when Bethell made his debut in England colours, feeling "very nervous" during his debut T20I against Australia at Southampton. Now 12 months, 34 international matches later, with a maiden professioinal cricket century under his belt, Bethell will be leading two-time World Cup winning seniors Adil Rashid and Jos Buttler in the series. His elevation to the captaincy status so early amidst all the hype around him is a sign of how England views him as a future superstar. Bethell's captaincy experience so far has been "a bit at school", seven games for England under-19 side and some fixtures for Warwickshire's second team. The all-rounder's schooling, moving from Barbados to UK to board at a rugby school and his early entry into professsional cricket have made him mature than a lot of his peers. Such accelarated changes in life and career have made him a proper fit for captaincy role. Harry Brook, England's usual white-ball captain, has been rested for the series and there is no point of handing back the armband to Jos Buttler for a tour which marks the end of a season of play. Speaking on what could have led to him being picked as a captain, he pointed out, "It is maybe just a bit of trust. Another aspect might be, just chuck me in the deep end and see how I go. It will be nice to see how I go under pressure - I am sure the guys who have made those decisions would like to see that as well." Bethell learnt of his promotion to captaincy last month from head coach Brendon McCullum and recalled feeling "pride". "The feeling is excitement with a few nerves kicking around, both from wanting to lead the boys well, and get a win under our belt." he added. Bethell feels that man management would be his top task as a captain, while working with stand-in head coach Marcus Trescothick. "Not every tactical decision you make is going to work. It is about managing the boys well so they feel you are backing them. That is something I will look to take forward in however many games I end up captaining in my career," he said. The all-rounder admitted to admiring his senior, superstar all-rounder Ben Stokes' leadership in Tests, saying, "He leads by example, with actions and performances" and wants to replicate what the English legend does on the field as a player and captain. Just nine days back, Bethell smashed his first-ever professional cricket ton, a cracking 82-ball 110 against South Africa, sharing the crease with legendary batter Joe Root during the dead-rubber third ODI. Bethell admitted that the knock gave him a lot of confidence, though it is not a breakthrough for him. "It was a nice feeling, and one that feels quite addictive. Hopefully, I can get myself used to raising the bat. Once you do it once, you have got the confidence to go on and do it again and again, so I think it has definitely given me that," he said. England Squad: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler(w), Tom Banton, Will Jacks, Jacob Bethell(c), Liam Dawson, Sam Curran, Jamie Overton, Luke Wood, Adil Rashid, Sonny Baker, Scott Currie, Tom Hartley, Jordan Cox, Rehan Ahmed. (ANI)
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