Jacob Bethell has been trending on social media after a video of him watching the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup semifinal between India and England posted by ICC went viral. In the video, Bethell is seen watching the match with his close friend Tom Prest, who captained England Under‑19 cricket team. England won that semifinal by 10 wickets, and Bethell said the moment felt “surreal.” He also said he hopes England can recreate that moment.
The video gained attention shortly after Bethell played a brilliant innings for England in the semifinal of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. England were chasing a huge target of 254 runs set by defending champions India.
Bethell played a fearless knock, scoring 105 runs and keeping England in the game almost single-handedly. However, despite his efforts, England lost the thrilling match by seven runs.
With this innings, Bethell became the fourth England player to score centuries in all three formats of international cricket. He joined the list that includes Jos Buttler, Dawid Malan, and Harry Brook.
His century also became the second-fastest hundred in T20 World Cup history, reaching the milestone in 45 balls. The fastest century in the tournament was scored by Finn Allen of New Zealand national cricket team, who hit a 33-ball century against South Africa national cricket team in the first semifinal.
Bethell is only the second player to score a century in a T20 World Cup knockout match, and his 105 is the highest score in a knockout game in the tournament’s history.
Watch the viral video here:
In the ongoing World Cup, Bethell has scored 280 runs in eight innings at an average of 35 and a strike rate of 152, including one century and one half-century. Despite England’s defeat, his outstanding performance showed why he is considered one of the team’s most exciting young players.