Former English captain Michael Atherton isn't happy with 21-year-old Jacob Bethell's ascent to England T20I captain as feels the batting all-rounder currently doesn't have the credential for the leadership role. Notably, Jacob Bethell is poised to make history as he prepares to lead England in a three-match T20I series in Ireland next month, a role that will make him the youngest captain in the team's history. However, not everyone believes this is the right move at this stage of his career.
The bigger issue is his lack of cricket: Michael Atherton on Jacob Bethell's leadership
Meanwhile, Michael Atherton has cautioned against rushing Bethell into the leadership role. Atherton stressed that the primary focus should be on developing Bethell's batting skills, arguing that the responsibilities of captaincy could be a distraction. He emphasised the importance of a careful and guided approach to help the young player improve his game before taking on the additional pressure of leading the team.
“The captaincy is a red herring, though. Ben Stokes and Harry Brook are going nowhere and if this experience is part of long-term planning, then fair enough — although they have to be careful that Bethell doesn’t start to wonder what he has done to deserve the keys to the entire kingdom,” Atherton wrote in his column in The Times.
“The bigger issue is his lack of cricket. The speed of the promotion means that Bethell, uniquely among recent England batsmen, has missed a stage of his development … The difference for Bethell this year is that he has been carrying the drinks in Tests, so his opportunities in the middle have been extremely limited,” his column further read.
Atherton also highlighted the young player's lack of recent match practice. According to Atherton, Bethell has faced just 441 balls in total across all formats this year. This limited time in the middle raises questions about whether he should be focused on improving his batting form rather than taking on the added responsibility of leading the team.
“For a young player making his way that is insufficient; that balance of short-form cricket versus first-class or 50-over cricket is out of kilter. The management of a young player is far more challenging than in years gone by because of the commercial opportunities available to them. Playing in the Indian Premier League is more beneficial than playing early-season county cricket, but sitting on the bench, as Bethell did? That is a harder argument to make. Players are allowed to stay in the IPL for the duration, unless they decide, as Brook did, to relinquish the opportunity, but this decision should not be left to the player alone.”
In a historic turn, Jacob Bethell is poised to become the youngest-ever captain of the England men's team, surpassing a record that has stood for over a century. The current record holder is Monty Bowden, who was 23 years old when he led England in a Test match against South Africa in Cape Town during the 1888-89 season. Bethell's opportunity to break this record came about because Harry Brook is taking a planned break following the one-day and T20 series against South Africa, opening up a spot for the young player to step into the leadership role against Ireland.
England's T20I squad for Ireland series:
Jacob Bethell (c), Rehan Ahmed, Sonny Baker, Tom Banton, Jos Buttler, Liam Dawson, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Luke Wood.