Jacob Bethell described England’s T20 World Cup semi-final defeat by India as “a tough pill to swallow” after his first century in the format failed to prevent his team’s elimination in Thursday’s record-obliterating Mumbai run-fest.
The 22-year-old had never scored a senior hundred in any format and for any side when he first broke into the England team towards the end of 2024. But less than six months after banking his debut ton against South Africa in an ODI he became just the fourth Englishman to reach triple figures in all three international formats – just a week after Harry Brook’s spectacular innings against Pakistan made him the third.
“I always had the self-belief to be able to do it,” Bethell said. “Me and Brooky were joking about who was going to be the first to get all three. He was like: ‘You’re batting at three so it’s got to be you.’ Then he took my spot at three and did it, but I managed to do it at four. Both of us can be very proud of ourselves but at the end of the day his came in a winning cause and mine in a losing cause. He’ll always have that up on me.”
Bethell’s debut first-class century came in the Ashes Test in Sydney in January, when his second-innings 154 did not stop Australia cantering to victory by five wickets. It took him 162 balls to reach triple figures at the SCG, compared with 45 in Mumbai. “They’re not comparable, really,” he said of the two innings. “The skills and mental thinking are different, but both feelings are pretty good. But both of them have come in losing causes, which is a weird feeling. Cricket is a cruel game, personal performances don’t always solidify into team performances. Both of those are tough pills to swallow but I’m very proud of the way I went about both knocks.”
Though England conceded 253 to leave themselves a daunting task in their semi-final run chase Bethell said the mood at the innings break had been entirely optimistic: “That’s always the way. Tunes were on, everyone was ready to go out and get the job done.”
After a long and arduous international winter Bethell now has little more than a week off before he is due to report for the start of the Indian Premier League season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Fixtures for the league are due to be released imminently, with RCB expected to host the opening game later this month.
“I’ve got eight or nine days now to go back and reflect before the IPL,” he said. “It’s been a good winter. The team performances in the white-ball stuff, definitely T20s, are good. This was a tough one to take but I’ve enjoyed every minute out on the field playing for England. That’s all I can really take from it. My game’s evolved a lot over the past six or seven months, and I’ll look to take that further.”
