Jacob Graham Bethell was born on October 23, 2003, in the cricket-rich island of Barbados and has already made a much-talked-about impact in the cricketing world. As of 26 November 2024, he is only 21 years, 1 month, and 3 days old, yet his achievements have been nothing short of remarkable. Standing at 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm), Bethell's early education took place at Harrison College in Barbados before he moved to England at the age of 12 to attend Rugby School on a scholarship.
Bethell's family is steeped in cricketing tradition: his father Graham Bethell has represented Barbados at the youth level, and his grandfather Arthur Bethell has been a first-class cricketer for Barbados.
CAPTION: A legacy of cricket excellence, passed down through generations. SOURCE: Instagram This rich cricket heritage has surely influenced his early and continued involvement in the sport.
Born and brought up in Barbados, Bethell had played age-group cricket in the West Indies before a crucial relocation to England at age 12, where he received a scholarship to Rugby School, whose director of cricket was Mike Powell, a former Warwickshire captain. That was when his process of becoming a professional cricketer began.
Bethell joined the Warwickshire Academy as a teenager and signed a three-year professional contract with the club in January 2021 at the age of 17. Former Warwickshire captain Ian Bell hailed him as "the best 17-year-old" he had ever seen. He made his professional debut in the 2021 T20 Blast for Warwickshire and went on to make his List A debut in the One-Day Cup against Glamorgan in July 2021. Bethell also made his first-class debut for Warwickshire in September 2021, against Yorkshire.
CAPTION: From the domestic circuit to international glory, Jacob Bethell continues to dominate. SOURCE: Instagram Apart from his work with Warwickshire, Bethell has been a star in The Hundred, having first played for Welsh Fire before moving to the Birmingham Phoenix for 2023 and 2024. His performances against these sides, particularly T20 Blast and The Hundred, have been pretty good, showing how explosive and destructive he can be to bowl down an attack.
Bethell has represented England at various youth levels with distinction. He was named vice captain of England's Under-19 team for the 2022 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup, where he scored 88 runs from 42 balls in the quarterfinal against South Africa. This performance helped England reach the final of the tournament.
In September 2024, Bethell made his senior international debut for England in a T20I series against Australia. He immediately showed his class, scoring 44 in the second T20I and 35 on his ODI debut. On November 9, 2024, he scored 58 not out in his third T20I game against the West Indies in Barbados. He became the youngest Englishman to score a 50 in a T20 international at the age of 21 years and 17 days.
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Bethell is all set to make his Test debut for England as the Three-Test series against New Zealand gets underway at Hagley Oval. The selection comes on the back of a couple of good performances he has been putting up in T20 cricket and his recent buy by RCB in the IPL auction.
CAPTION: The whites await! Jacob Bethell embarks on his Test cricket journey. SOURCE: Instagram He will bat at number three for the first time in any first-class cricket and is part of a reshuffled England side through a combination of injuries and other team changes.
Bethell is a left-handed batter known for his aggressive and explosive batting style, typically operating in the middle order. He also bowls left-arm orthodox spin, providing a useful all-round option for his teams. His statistics reflect his growing impact on the cricket world:
His batting and bowling figures thus far—738 runs in first-class cricket at 25.44, 339 runs in List A cricket at 24.21, and 782 runs in T20 cricket at 23—are great. He has taken 7 wickets in first-class cricket, 15 wickets in List-A cricket, and 7 wickets in T20 cricket.
Bethell has represented several teams throughout his career. At the domestic level, he plays for Warwickshire and has been part of The Hundred, initially with the Welsh Fire and later with the Birmingham Phoenix. Internationally, he has played for England and the England Under-19 team. He has also been part of other leagues, including the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League and the Paarl Royals in the SA20 league.
Bethell was picked up by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the IPL 2025 mega auction for indian rupees 2.60 crore. RCB went for Bethell over other players for many strategic reasons. The team needed a quality left-handed batter to counter slow left-arm spinners and right-arm leg spinners in the middle overs, considering their existing top order and finishers. Bethell's impressive numbers in the middle overs, averaging 40.25 and striking at 140.40, made him a good inclusion at the lower price in the RCB lineup.
CAPTION: Bold moves, bigger dreams—Jacob Bethell is ready to shine in IPL 2025 with RCB. SOURCE: Instagram The bidding for Bethell was quite aggressive, with Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings also in the race before RCB finally managed to get him. This purchase seems quite significant on RCB's part to stabilize the middle order for this season.
The cricketing abilities of Bethell had been duly recognized since his early years. He was named the player of the tournament in the 2017 West Indies Under-15 competition. At Rugby School, he scored 202 in the first innings of the annual two-day fixture against Marlborough College in 2021, setting a modern-day record. These achievements underpin the potential and dedication of this athlete towards the sport.
Bethell is active on various social media platforms. He has more than 301 followers on Twitter @BethellJacob, and on Instagram, he has more than 8.5k followers as @Jacob.Bethell. He keeps his followers updated with the latest happenings related to his cricketing journey and personal life. His social media presence allows his fans to stay updated about his career and personal milestones.
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