Jacob Bethell admitted his Test debut was “everything I’ve dreamed of” after scoring the winning run in England’s thumping victory over New Zealand at Christchurch.
Bethell was catapulted into the side at short notice after Jordan Cox broke a thumb during the warm-up match in Queenstown, forcing the tourists into a reshuffle that saw Ollie Pope take over as wicketkeeper and a vacancy open up at number three.
The fact that 21-year-old Bethell had never batted there before in domestic cricket did not deter England, who have made a habit out of empowering young talent, and the experiment came up trumps as they chased down a modest target of 104.
Bethell, dismissed for 10 in difficult conditions in the first innings, struck eight fours and a huge six as he made a 50 in just 37 balls to finish the match in true ‘Bazball’ style.
With the sun beating down and a sell-out crowd cheering him off at Hagley Oval, it was an experience he is unlikely to forget in a hurry.
“It was a hell of a lot of fun. To walk off with Joe Root at the end there was pretty special,” he said.
“It’s everything I’ve dreamed of to be honest. Since I was a little kid I’ve always dreamed of playing Test cricket, I remember watching the Ashes, and just any England Tests on TV and wanting to be a part of it.
“Since Baz (Brendon McCullum) and Stokesy took over I’ve always watched it on TV and gone, ‘how fun that does that look?’ and it lived up to expectations. No matter if we were in the sheds talking with each other, batting, bowling, fielding it was good fun.
“It was my first experience playing in front of packed grass banks, pristine outfield, good pitches and playing against a good New Zealand team. It was great.”
Asking Bethell to bat in the pivotal position of three had looked a gamble by England. He has a glowing reputation, touted as a future star by the great Brian Lara long before swapping his native Barbados for a scholarship at Rugby School, but precious few first-class runs to his name. Indeed, he is the first batter to be picked by England without a professional century since Mike Gatting in 1978.
Yet after four days in the Test arena he feels at home – in the side and in the top order.
“I like batting up the order so I was really happy that opportunity arose,” he said.
“Maybe it was a surprise, but I would have asked for it to be honest. I’ve always wanted to bat in the top four, so three is perfect.
“Pretty much every time I’ve played against better people, I’ve played better at the step up. In the Hundred, played better, straight into internationals, played better. I didn’t really have a doubt in my mind coming into Test cricket that I’d do well.”
The new experiences will keep on coming for Bethell, who has made debuted in ODI, T20s and Tests in the space of less than three months. He was picked up by Royal Challengers Bengaluru for just over £250,000 in the recent Indian Premier League auction, joining fellow Englishmen Liam Livingstone and Phil Salt on the books.
RCB’s biggest name Virat Kohli and Bethell is already excited about linking up with one of the world game’s A-list stars.
“It’s a bit of a given isn’t it? Virat, he’s a great of the game, King Kohli,” he said.
“I think it’ll do a lot for me. Any young overseas player that’s gone over there has come back with a wealth of experience. Going over and being around the likes of Virat in that RCB team will stand my game in good stead for the future.”