BIRMINGHAM, UNITED KINGDOM, MAY 30 (AFP/APP/DNA):Harry Brook predicted Jacob Bethell “will be some player” after the 21-year-old rising star impressed in England’s thumping victory over the West Indies in the first one-day international at Edgbaston on Thursday.
There has long been talk over whether Bethell, recently returned from IPL duty, will go straight back into the Test side for the upcoming five-match series with India.
And that speculation will only intensify following Bethell’s expertly-paced innings of 82 from 53 balls that propelled England to a huge total of 400-8 on his Warwickshire home ground.
Faced with trying to become only the second team in the 4,880-match history of men’s ODI cricket to score over 400 to win, following South Africa’s 438-9 against Australia at Johannesburg in 2006, the West Indies collapsed to 162 all out.
Brook, speaking after launching his reign as England’s permanent white-ball captain with a dominant 238-run win, said of left-hander Bethell: “He batted beautifully there.
– ‘Confident lad’ –
“When one of us gets going, most of the time it’s hard to stop us and he showed that. He couldn’t go on and get three figures but it was a match-winning innings and he’s going to be some player.
“He’s a confident lad, I don’t think he needs too much more bigging up, he knows he’s a good player and we all know he’s an exceptional player. He’s going to have a very long England career if he keeps on batting the way he does. He brings so much to a side (because) he can bowl and field as well.”
Victory ended England’s seven-match losing streak in ODI cricket and put them 1-0 up in this three-game series against the West Indies.
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