Jacob Bethell

• Profile

When Brian Lara tells you: ‘You are better than I was when I was 11’ and Ian Bell says you’re ‘the best 17-year-old’ he has ever seen, it would be easy to rest on your laurels. 

Not so Jacob Bethell. Barbados-born Jacob originally fell in love with cricket playing on the island as a boy, his talents prompting Rugby School to offer him a scholarship here in England. He then went on to join Warwickshire’s EPP before signing a professional contract in 2021.

In the interim, the 18-year-old was a central part of the England group that made it to the U19 Men’s 2022 World Cup Final; Jacob’s 88 from 42 in the quarter-final win against South Africa included a half-century from 20 balls and earned him a Player of the Match award. 

In the past 12 months, the 21-year-old has been a hot prospect, making his England debuts in 50 and 20-over cricket in September before earning a maiden Test call-up for the tour to New Zealand.

Follow Jacob on Instagram at @jacob.bethell