Jacob Bethell will face his Caribbean roots when England meet West Indies in the T20 World Cup, but the Barbados-born batter insists sentiment will not distract from the task of pushing his side towards the knockout stages.
Bethell grew up on the island before moving to the UK at 12 on a cricket scholarship and admitted he had been unsure how he would be received when England toured the Caribbean in late 2024. Instead, family and friends turned out in large numbers at Kensington Oval to support him in an emotional return.
There will be no such nostalgia attached to Wednesday’s meeting in Mumbai, however.
He said: “It’s just another game to be honest. When I played them in Barbados, it was pretty cool. But we’re looking to get two more points. That’s all.”
England opened their Group C campaign with a tense four-run victory over Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium, where Bethell top-scored with 55 in his first World Cup innings. The narrow nature of the win offered an early test of temperament, one the 22-year-old believes could prove useful later in the tournament.
Bethell said: “I probably wouldn’t have wanted it to be as close as it was, but this tournament is my first World Cup, and watching previous World Cups, you want to get those little tricky games.
“I think it’s going to be good for us. We take the two points and run. It’s not going to do us any harm to go through that.”
Still adapting to life at No. 3 in the T20 side, Bethell has already established himself in that position in Tests, highlighted by a commanding 154 in Sydney at the end of England’s Ashes campaign. Returns in Sri Lanka across white-ball formats were more modest, but his contribution against Nepal reinforced his capacity to deliver on major occasions.
He said: “I’m just pleased with what I did in the Ashes. Since then, I actually probably would have liked to get a little bit more out of myself.
“The role at three, I haven’t probably done as well in it as I would have liked up to this point, but I feel like I’m getting to grips with it now.
“Hopefully, when I do get in and get past 50, I can go big and really stamp my authority on the game.”