Garfield Sobers began his legendary West Indies career in Jamaica in 1954 as a 17-year-old on the card at No 9, while Steve Smith famously started out for Australia 14 years ago as a jack-in-the-box leg-spinner down at No 8.
But Jacob Bethell, aged 21, as Smith was against Pakistan at Lord’s in 2010, walked out last week as England’s No 3, Matt Henry and Tim Southee probing away with a cherry-ripe Kookaburra under cloud cover. For a player with a first-class average of 25 who had barely batted as high as No 4 for Warwickshire, it could have felt like a fever dream.
