The squads for the Hundred were burped out on Tuesday, two days from the start of the County Championship season. There was a smattering of stardust through Australia’s World Cup-winning women, the odd glaring omission such as David Warner, and a remarkable elevation for county pros such as Liam Dawson, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Laurie Evans with top-tier deals worth £125,000 apiece.
But lower down in the men’s draft a couple of names also stood out. Rehan Ahmed and Jacob Bethell were among the young England cricketers who finished runners-up in this year’s Under-19s World Cup and have now secured £50,000 and £30,000 contracts at Southern Brave and Welsh Fire respectively, despite neither having fully broken through in county cricket just yet.
Ahmed, a 17-year-old leg-spinner of some considerable promise, has played only seven Royal London Cup games for Leicestershire, while Bethell, an 18-year-old top‑order batter who bowls left-arm spin, featured in a handful of games across all three formats for Warwickshire last year but is still studying for his A-levels – business and PE – as he tries to make his mark as a professional.
News of his Hundred deal filtered through during the net session at Edgbaston but, though beaming about it, it is heartening that this young left-hander – one who, aged 11, was described by Brian Lara as being better than himself – is also fiercely ambitious about a Test career.
“It was quite unexpected to get a Hundred contract,” says Bethell. “I put my name in not thinking much would come from it. I guess the Under-19s World Cup was a big platform that pushed some of our names forward, playing tournament cricket in pressure situations.
“My dream is to play for England in all formats. And Test cricket has always been the pinnacle. I watched the 2010-11 Ashes win as a kid and was just: ‘Wow, I want to be there.’ Test cricket is the most challenging format and looks the most rewarding. That red Dukes ball, especially early season, is seriously testing.”
Bethell made his mark with a 42-ball 88 against South Africa’s under-19s in Antigua and dominant on-drives that drew comparisons with Ben Stokes. But with just one first-class match to date, as a specialist batsman at No 9 against Yorkshire last summer, he will need patience to break into a Warwickshire red-ball side that were the best on show in 2021.
“My big challenge is the usual stuff for a left-hander,” he says. “You have bowlers trying to swing it away and then get one to rap the pads. It’s a case of being clinical with my judgment outside off-stump. It’s a completely different game to the white-ball. And it’s hard to go from white-ball cricket to red-ball – I think going too far in white-ball would hinder my chances of playing red-ball.”
Such clear thinking about his game should probably come as no surprise. Bethell grew up in Barbados but decided to throw his lot in with England when, aged 13, he was offered a scholarship at Rugby School. Both his father and grandfather played for Barbados and he counts Sir Garfield Sobers among his close family friends, yet the temptation of year-round support for his career in England proved too great.
“It was just down to opportunities really,” he says. “For kids growing up in Barbados, these become progressively less and less as you get older. If you don’t play for West Indies, it’s hard to make a professional career. There was push-back about [my decision] in Barbados – some people understand it, others less so – but you have to do what’s best for yourself.”
Did he ask Sobers before committing? “I did, yeah, he agreed with me,” replies Bethell. “Once he was on board, I was happy with the decision.”
Even with this blessing, Bethell’s move highlights the continuing talent drain from the Caribbean and English cricket’s role in it, while traditionalists will also grouse about another rookie being drawn to the shorter formats before establishing their credentials in the Championship. Whatever one’s viewpoint, his career is certainly one to keep an eye on.
