The real Jacob Bethell: Sobers' golfing buddy who batted with Lara aged 12
J acob Bethell may appear to be a once-in-a-generation talent who has long been destined to play Test cricket, but England supporters would be deluding themselves if they thought it was always going to be for their side. As Bethell's father, Graham, says: 'Jacob wanted to be a professional cricketer, but not necessarily for England.'
Bethell was born in Bridgetown, Barbados into a family steeped in the island's culture. Asked if he regrets that his son does not play for West Indies, Bethell Sr adds: 'I'm a Barbadian. My father was born in Barbados. His parents were born in Barbados and their parents were born in Barbados. We go back generations here. I would have loved Jacob to play for West Indies. But you know what, it would have been very difficult.'
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Telegraph
12 hours ago
- Telegraph
Five things we learnt from England's West Indies ODI series victory
Almost before England closed out their ODI series victory over the West Indies in Taunton, attention had already turned to the upcoming one against India. Charlotte Edwards' tenure as England head coach had got off to the perfect start, but it was an expected win against a side depleted of standout names, aside from Hayley Matthews. After a five-hour rain delay in Somerset, England secured the whitewash victory by nine wickets, chasing down the amended 106 runs to win inside 11 overs with an experimental batting line-up. Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and Edwards have enjoyed a flawless start to their new England roles, and Telegraph Sport takes a look at what can be ascertained from the win. Amy Jones looks cut out to solve opening problem In the first two one-day internationals, Edwards decided to change things up in the England batting order, choosing wicketkeeper Amy Jones to open alongside Tammy Beaumont. Jones responded to being moved up the order for the first time since 2019 by hitting her first century in international cricket – albeit she was dropped on 43 – making scores of 122 and 129. Previously Jones had been used further down the order and after a disappointing Ashes with the bat, during which she misjudged how many balls had been bowled – a costly decision that played a key part in England's defeat in Melbourne. But opening against the West Indies she has looked more comfortable with the role. Jones was not needed to bat in the first two T20 matches as England eased to victory, but she and Beaumont looked to have cemented their places at the top of the order for the longer white-ball format. Rewarding domestic performances pay off Em Arlott was awarded player of the match in only her second T20 international, taking three wickets and two catches on her first national call-up since 2022. Having been called up twice before, for a Test in 2021 and another red-ball game in 2022, she did not take to the field until the start of the T20 series against the West Indies. Emma Lamb and Alice Davidson-Richards were also recalled for the ODI series, being rewarded for their performances in domestic cricket, something that had been lacking in the previous regime. Edwards' decision to call up those who have performed in the domestic game has resonated with those not in the international set-up as well as – in the case of Arlott – providing match-winners to the international side. Linsey Smith or Sophie Ecclestone? Linsey Smith was brought in for Sophie Ecclestone, who was left out mainly because of a knee injury, although she recovered to play her first game for Lancashire the day the squad was announced. Since coming into the side, Smith has been a strong fielder and even better bowler, taking a five-wicket haul on her one-day international debut in Derby. Smith has been in and out of the England side since coming in as an additional spin option for the T20 World Cup in the autumn, but has played a significant role under Edwards so far. The England and Wales Cricket Board has announced that Ecclestone will take a break from all cricket, including domestically, because of injury and to prioritise her 'well-being', but it remains to be seen, even if she is fit, whether her previous exploits and standings would warrant an immediate return to the side, given Smith's recent success. Nat Sciver-Brunt as captain Nat Sciver-Brunt has overseen 3-0 T20 and ODI wins for her first series as captain, but has not really been tested. The West Indies, as expected, have not provided the most difficult challenge, therefore any tactical tweaks have not been called for. However, Sciver-Brunt does play a role in selecting the side, who have proven more than enough to beat the West Indies without breaking sweat, and given chances to the likes of Arlott and Smith who have made match-winning contributions. The real test is to come Arguably, had England played the West Indies last summer under the previous head coach, the outcome would have been the same. Matthews was exceptional in the first T20, but none of the other players made convincing contributions, and that has largely stayed the same throughout. India, who arrive for their first T20 on June 28, will be a much sterner test.
BBC News
12 hours ago
- BBC News
Six games, six wins - but what have England learned?
Charlotte Edwards was tasked with rebuilding England after a brutal Ashes drubbing which resulted in heavy criticism of the team's attitude, culture and on-field performances. The legendary former captain has started her era as head coach with a T20 and one-day international clean sweep over a depleted West Indies, but this was no surprise. Ultimately, Edwards and new captain Nat Sciver-Brunt could not have asked for an easier start to their tenure. Edwards' predecessor Jon Lewis also began his stint as head coach with a clean sweep over the Windies away from home, creating a sense of optimism and excitement before it all came crashing down with two disappointing T20 World Cup campaigns and the ill-fated Ashes to start this this series win comes with a word of caution - we have seen this one before. England have regularly dominated home bilateral series, and then crumbled on the big stage. Prior to this series, they had won 79.3% of their completed white-ball games at home since 2020, and that number rises to 87.8% when you take out Australia and are much tougher tests to come, starting with India's arrival in late June before the very challenging prospect of a 50-over World Cup in India at the end of September. World Cup-winning spinner Alex Hartley says that England are in a "good place" because of the dominant manner in which they have been winning, but has this series provided anything to suggest things will be different and whether the "new" England can finally perform under pressure when it matters? Will the Amy Jones experiment last? When she was appointed, Edwards made it clear that 50-over cricket would be her initial priority, saying that England needed a smarter gameplan and to improve their awareness, particularly with the first move was to promote wicketkeeper Amy Jones back to opener alongside Tammy Beaumont, a role she fulfilled in 22 matches between 2016 and certainly repaid Edwards' faith with a player of the series performance - scoring her first international hundred in her 246th match and then backing it up in the second game to finish with 251 runs at an average of 125.50 and impressive strike-rate of 114.61. But the challenge for Jones mirrors England's generally - can she step up against higher-quality opposition? Her average of 55.45 against West Indies is her highest against any team, but that drops to 16.33 against Australia and 19.66 against India. One aspect to consider is how teams may adapt to her success and how she'll fare in different conditions in India. How would Jones perform if a side was to start with spin against her for example?She averages 36.2 against spin and has a strike-rate of 82, both of which are more than 31-year-old has only faced 35 balls of spin in the 10-over powerplay but is yet to be dismissed. She can be a slow starter against spin though, being dismissed 10 times by a spinner in her first 30 balls and her strike-rate drops to 78. Her record with Beaumont suggests they are a natural fit for the top-order rebuild which was needed after Maia Bouchier's misery in Australia where she averaged six. Jones and Beaumont are England's third-most successful ODI partnership, scoring 1,786 runs together in 30 innings while their average of 63.8 is comfortably the highest in the current team. Heather Knight and Sciver-Brunt are behind them with 42.8. Matthews' class stands apart Though West Indies generally offered England very little challenge, the most effective way of judging where they are at as a team is to see how they fared against one of the world's best players in Hayley Matthews. Without fellow all-rounders Deandra Dottin or Chinelle Henry in the squad, West Indies' hopes relied solely on their captain and more often than not, she keeps them afloat. And it is cause for concern that England have not performed well against the one player who can consistently put their bowlers under the pump and provide a significant contest. Matthews missed the second and third ODIs with a shoulder problem, having made a fluent 48 and taken 2-49 in the first, but was magnificent in the T20s. She scored a sparkling century in a total of 146 in the opener at Canterbury, fell cheaply in the second at Hove before scoring 71 and taking 3-32 in the third at India, there are plenty of players capable of such performances - Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur to name a few. It will not be the same case of taking one wicket to define a game, and Matthews' efforts suggest this is a challenge they are desperately in need of."I think we've probably created it ourselves in many ways," Edwards said when asked about whether her side had been put under any pressure during the series. "Competition for selection in county cricket, going into county cricket and having to perform, and then obviously within this side now, making sure they are taking the opportunities." Smith, Ecclestone or both? The world's number one-ranked bowler Sophie Ecclestone made headlines during the Ashes after her refusal to do a pre-match interview with former team-mate Alex Hartley, who had criticised England's fitness after their T20 World Cup exit. The 26-year-old was left out for the West Indies series as part of her recovery from a knee injury, but has since played two 50-over matches and six T20s for Lancashire, and England insisted her omission was not in relation to the winter's controversy. She has since taken a break from domestic cricket to prioritise her wellbeing and to manage a quad problem, but remains available for selection for the India her absence, however, fellow left-arm spinner Linsey Smith has shone with seven wickets in two matches including a five-wicket haul on her ODI debut which has left Edwards with a pretty significant selection headache, but a luxurious one. There is no reason why England could not play two left-arm spinners, particularly given they offer such different attributes. Ecclestone's height generates a lot more bounce, while Smith is skiddier and her strength comes from her accuracy. In the two ODIs she played, Smith would have hit the stumps with a series-high 45.8% of deliveries and her economy rate of 3.15 runs per over was comfortably the lowest. England's spin trio of Ecclestone, off-spinner Charlie Dean and leg-spinner Sarah Glenn have played together 25 times in T20s but only twice in ODIs. The World Cup in India, though, could provide further opportunity for Smith when she has previously been kept out of the side because of Ecclestone's brilliance standing in her called for greater competition for places, after accusations of complacency followed the Ashes, and this has immediately been delivered and gives even more significance to the upcoming games against India. She hinted post-series that all four of Ecclestone, Smith, Glenn and Dean could go to the World Cup. Has the team perception changed? Fielding has been one of England's biggest areas for improvement, with six drops seeing them prematurely knocked out in T20 World Cup group stage and seven on day one of the Ashes Test alone. They took 38 catches in this series but still dropped 13 chances, giving them a 75% catch efficiency. That is up from the 41% at the T20 World Cup in October and 63% in the Ashes and on par with the 73% in home matches since 2020. Their body language and demeanour was also criticised, with Lewis' carefree approach lending itself to accusations of players not caring enough about the results. Under their new leadership, England do seem re-energised with a buzz in the field and the new or returning faces like Smith and Issy Wong, who played two of the T20s, contributing to that change in energy. Edwards said training "had been great to be at". But considering the difference in circumstances - England were losing heavily in Australia and winning by barely breaking a sweat against West Indies - we are still no clearer on whether that will change under pressure. "We're under no illusions that we're going to have tougher times ahead," Edwards acknowledged. "But equally I think what we're seeing already is that appetite for wanting to keep getting better, because they've got to, they know they can't stand still, there's probably someone in county cricket scoring runs who's winning games of cricket. "It's going to be difficult picking teams going forward, but that's the place we wanted to be, we didn't want to be picking for 15 or 16 players, we wanted to be picking from a pool of 25 players which I genuinely think we are now."Only Matthews has put England's bowlers to the sword, but even on those occasions it never felt like they were in danger of losing. The heat and humidity of India's World Cup is where this will really be put to the test. Every game will matter and England will be well aware of the attention that will be on them to put things right after the Ashes.
The Guardian
13 hours ago
- The Guardian
Nat Sciver-Brunt helps England thrash West Indies to complete clean sweep
England completed a series clean sweep against West Indies after cruising to a nine-wicket winin a rain-reduced third one-day international at Taunton. Nat Sciver-Brunt scored an unbeaten half-century to continue a successful start as captain, smashing back-to-back boundaries to seal the win inside 11 overs. With West Indies' captain Hayley Matthews sidelined with a shoulder injury, England had earlier made short work of West Indies' top-order, reducing them to four for three in the opening four overs after opting to bowl in overcast conditions. West Indies recovered to 43 for three when rain forced the players from the field for what turned into a five-hour delay and saw the match reduced to 21 overs a side. When play resumed, West Indies rewarded the remnants of the Somerset crowd with some fireworks – hammering 39 runs from their final three overs – but Sarah Glenn bagged three wickets on her return to the one-day side, as England restricted their opponents to 106 for 8. England ejigged their batting lineup, enabling the middle-order a chance to join in the series run-fest. Opening alongside the captain, Sophia Dunkley contributed 26 runs before being trapped leg before wicket by Karishma Ramharack, while Alice Capsey struck a quickfire 20 from 11 balls at number three, as England stormed to victory. After opting to field, England's bowlers took advantage of overcast conditions to strike three times before the rain delay. Realeanna Grimmond nicked off against Kate Cross, while Em Arlott – who was tasked with opening the bowling alongside Cross after England rested Lauren Bell – took wickets in successive overs, dipping the ball into the stumps of Zaida James before swinging the ball past the bat of Stafanie Taylor and into her front pad. Short balls from Arlott and Lauren Filer felled the next two West Indian batters: Shemaine Campbelle was struck in the ribs by Arlott before Qiana Joseph swung so hard at a Filer bouncer that she propelled herself to the ground and was lucky not to be out hit wicket. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion Charlie Dean let a caught and bowled chance off Campbelle slip through her fingers just before the rain came, but West Indies' stand-in captain was stumped off the first ball after the resumption trying to hurry things along, as three wickets fell in quick succession to leave the tourists in trouble. Aaliyah Alleyne smashed 20 runs off the penultimate over from Filer, twice top-edging over the head of wicketkeeper Amy Jones, while Jahzara Claxton sent the ball sailing over the midwicket boundary, adjacent to a jubilant West Indian dugout. It was, at least, something to cheer about in a tour which has offered little joy for the visitors. England's next assignment will be five T20s and three one-day internationals against India, starting at Nottingham on 28 June. West Indies fly straight to Barbados for a home series against South Africa in just four days' time.
