- Jacob Bethell was born in Barbados but made his England debut last month
- BethellĀ is set to play against the West Indies during England’s white-ball tour
- Tune in to England’s tour of the West Indies, starting with the first ODI live on TNT Sports 1 from 5.30pm on 31st October. Sign up to TNT Sports and discovery+Ā hereĀ
For Jason Holder, the former West Indies captain, seeing Barbados-born Jacob Bethell picked for England leaves a ābittersweetā feeling.
Bethell is part of Englandās squad for their white-ball tour of the Caribbean (which starts on Thursday, live on TNT Sports in the UK) and as Mail Sport revealed earlier this week, the 21-year-old is part of the touring party for the Test series against New Zealand.
āI met Jacob (Bethell) at the airport during the U19 World Cup in 2022,ā says Holder, who is also from Barbados.Ā
āIād heard of him and then I first saw him play on Brian Laraās Instagram page. He must have been about 12 or 13 years old. He was very small but Brian talked him up to be special and you can see that because he looks at home on the international circuit.Ā
‘Itās no surprise to see England backing him with their mantra and hopefully he grabs the opportunity and makes the most of it. Moments like this – weāve had Chris Jordan,Ā Jofra Archer and now Bethell – leave kind of a bittersweet feeling because weāre losing great cricketers to England but also I’m happy for them because they’re playing international cricket.ā
Jason Holder said it is ‘bittersweet’ to see Barbados-born Jacob Bethell playing for England
The West Indies all-rounder praised Bethell’s quality and insisted he is happy for the youngster
He impressed against Australia last month in what was his first taste of international cricket
And Holder stressed that Archer, who is part of Englandās squad for the three ODIs and five T20Is, is still keen to play Test cricket for England, despite injuries. The 29-year-old last played a Test match in 2021.
āJofraās body will tell him what he can and canāt do.Ā Heās a cricket nut. He loves the game but his body is the only thing that can tell him. Either way, itās good to have him fit for sure,ā the 32-year-old said.
Englandās Test team have not won a series in the Caribbean since 2004, while the white-ball side have lost each of their last three series and Holder insists that West Indies feel āno fearā whenever England tour.
Holder also insisted that the West Indies have ‘no fear’ ahead of the upcoming white-ball tour
Holder similarly stressed that Jofra Archer, who was also born in Barbados,Ā is still keen to play Test cricket for England, despite injuries. The 29-year-old last played a Test match in 2021
āThereās no fear for sure – an England series is always a big series for us and whenever you do well against England, itās recognised around the world. Of course, the English public travels and supports well and we love playing in front of massive crowds. Historically, itās always been a great rivalry and a great spectacle and a really good chance to shine,’ Holder added.
England will be led during the ODI leg of the tour by Liam Livingstone, with Jos Buttler continuing his recovery following a calf injury that has kept him out since July. Buttler hopes to return for the T20 series, which begins on November 9.
Tune in to England’s tour of the West Indies, starting with the first ODI live on TNT Sports 1 from 5.30pm on 31st October.