SaqMarcus Trescothick has tipped Jacob Bethell as England’s next “superstar” ahead of the batting all-rounder’s international debut against Australia on Wednesday night.
Barbados-born Bethell has been considered a player to watch for some time and will provide England with a left-handed option in the middle of the order as well as some handy bowling in the opening T20 of the series.
Although his career statistics are not remarkable, Bethell has been on an upward trend this year and has produced several outstanding performances in the Vitality Blast and The Hundred for the Birmingham-based teams.
One of his highlights was a 15-ball fifty in the Blast against Northamptonshire in June and, having worked with Bethell at England age group level, Trescothick is confident the 20-year-old has a bright future.
“I see a super talented kid who is making his way in the game,” said Trescothick, who is overseeing England’s white-ball teams as interim head coach for the remainder of this year.
“I coached him a few times through the England Under-19s programme a few years ago and it was really obvious to me that he was going to be a superstar.
“We saw a bit of him in The Hundred. We saw various scores he made, catches he took and a bit when he was bowling.
“I think you’re going to enjoy watching it evolve over the next few years.”
Bethell’s inclusion marks the start of England’s limited overs regeneration at the Utilita Bowl, where ahead of the match 1,000 solar panels will be switched on for the first time in an industry-leading project.
With the omissions of Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali, who has since retired from international cricket, Jordan Cox will also make his England debut for the first of three T20s, followed by five ODIs.
Jamie Overton is set for his first England T20 but only as a batsman as his ongoing recovery from a back problem is hampering his bowling, while paceman Saqib Mahmood will make his first international appearance in 18 months after his own injury problems.
Cox will bat at three, below stand-in captain and wicketkeeper Phil Salt, replacing Jos Buttler and Will Jacks, who is one of seven players from England’s T20 World Cup squad to be retained in the XI.
Their semi-final exit in the Caribbean led to the sacking of Matthew Mott as Whites head coach, with Brendon McCullum set to take charge of England in all three formats from early next year.
Trescothick has been in interim charge of the T20 and ODI teams so far but he is singing the same song as McCullum, having worked under the New Zealander as he transformed their Test fortunes.
“We’re trying to bring a lot of what we bring into Test matches, the same message, the same language we try to use and the same approach,” former England opener Trescothick said.
“You’ve seen Brendon’s style. It’s going to be a similar approach to what happened there. It’s a great opportunity to set some standards for what (McCullum’s leadership) will look like.
“I’m going to promote the same style of play, because I already know what’s going to happen to Brendon and beyond.”
While describing himself as “very pleased” with McCullum’s appointment, Trescothick admitted he would have considered applying to succeed Mott if he had been approached.
“If I had been asked, I would have seriously considered that possibility,” he said. “But I always knew what was going on.”
In announcing McCullum’s appointment, men’s cricket chief executive Rob Key believes the former New Zealand captain will be helped by the easing of England’s busy schedule in 2025 and beyond.
However, there may still be instances where McCullum takes a break from overseeing a bilateral white-ball series, and Trescothick would be keen to replace him if the opportunity arises.
“Gaining experience now and hopefully working a bit more in the future really excites me,” Trescothick added.
Saq
