England’s young all-rounder Jacob Bethell has been struggling with the bat. Whether it is Tests or T20 cricket or the Hundred, runs have been scarce for the 21-year-old. At The Rose Bowl, Southampton, on August 10, Bethell walked in to bat at no.3 for Birmingham Phoenix but was knocked over by New Zealand's spin-bowling all-rounder Michael Bracewell.
Bracewell bowled from around the stumps. Bethell misjudged the length and there wasn't enough spin on the ball. He tried to play it on the back foot but the ball missed the bat and hit the leg stump. He scored just one run from two balls.
In the previous clash, he batted at no.5 and was run out for just five runs from seven balls by Trent Rockets' Sam Cook.
Bethell’s struggle in last 2 months
Before The Hundred 2025 began, he turned up for India in Ben Stokes' absence. He registered scores of 6 and 5. His dismissal in the run chase, trying to attack Prasidh Krishna was criticised. Former England captain Michael Vaughan blamed the selectors and team management for bringing in Bethell for The Oval Test. Many have questioned whether he will be the right fit for the Ashes 2025-26 in Australia.
Before The Oval Test, he turned up for Birmingham Bears and scored just seven runs against Derbyshire in T20 Blast encounter. He was unimpressive in the other T20 Blast clashes in July as well. In the first-class match for Warwickshire against Somerset, he registered scores of 20 and 12. The all-rounder's last impressive performance came in the home T20I series against West Indies.
Big names fail, another loss for Birmingham Phoenix
After Bethell's dismissal, Phoenix batters struggled to accelerate. Wicketkeeper-batter Joe Clarke contributed with a 27-ball 36 whereas captain Liam Livingstone managed to score just 12 runs from 19 balls. Earlier, Ben Duckett departed for a 21-ball 20. Bracewell struck thrice in 15 balls and conceded just 10 runs. Jofra Archer struck twice in his quota of overs whereas Chris Jordan and James Coles got one wicket a piece. Birmingham Phoenix posted a total of 106/7.
Southern Brave made short work of the run chase. Leus du Plooy and captain James Vince shared a 75-run partnership from 58 balls. Benny Howell dismissed Vince for a 30-ball 41 but it turned out to be a consolation wicket. Plooy's unbeaten 39-ball 48 and Jason Roy's 12-ball 18 cameo helped Southern Brave register a nine-wicket win with 19 balls to spare. Birmingham Phoenix suffered their second loss in a row. Their next clash is against Oval Invincibles on August 12.