Some rivals will be unhappy the 21-year-old appears to have skipped the queue but the leap to Test level is higher than ever
Nearly six years ago the 15-year-old Jacob Bethell was given the Gray Nicolls Young Cricketer of the Year award and I sat next to him at lunch after the presentation. I have been aware of his background and looked out for his name since then, though I did not have a good look at him in action until he exploded on to the scene over the past 18 months, culminating in his Test debut last week.
I really like the way he sets up: he looks pretty side-on, seems to have good orthodox basics, presents the full face of the bat, moves forward and back. He scored 10 in his first Test innings but his mentality was right: there was no panic, he gave himself the chance to have a look, and did not seem flustered when he was faced with a string of balls he could not score off.
Written by Mark Ramprakash
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/dec/03/jacob-bethell-england-new-zealand-cricket-selection-could-be-inspired under the title “No panic and a brilliant striker of the ball – why Bethell’s selection could be inspired | Mark Ramprakash”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
