Mumbai: England’s young star Jacob Bethell has etched his name in the history books, becoming only the second player from the country to score a half-century on his T20 World Cup debut as the two-time champions narrowly defeated Nepal in their opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
Bethell’s fluent 55 off 35 balls, which placed him alongside former England great Kevin Pietersen, who was the first England batter to achieve the feat when he scored 79 against Zimbabwe in Cape Town during the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007.
Bethell came at a crucial time during England’s innings, as the team had lost its opener Phil Salt on the seventh ball of the innings.
Former captain Jos Buttler, who completed a thousand runs in the T20 World Cup history, joining Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Mahela Jayawardene, and David Warner in the special club, tried to steady the innings with a brisk 22 of 14 balls, but was eventually sent to the pavilion by Nandan Yadav in the fifth over.
England were dealt another blow after the end of the powerplay as Tom Banton (2), who struggled from the start, was dismissed by Nepal’s experienced bowler Sandeep Lamichhane in the sixth over.
As the pressure was mounting, Bethell, playing his first T20 World Cup match, stood tall and forged a 71-run partnership with the skipper Harry Brook, who was looking in great touch.
Bethell was punishing the bad balls while also rotating the strike, putting pressure on the opposition, who missed a few run-out chances.
The right-handed batter completed his half-century in just 28 balls. This is his third half-century in the 24 matches he played for the country.
Bethell eventually got caught in the 14th over at long on, chasing an offside-pitched ball of Dipendra Singh. Bethell scored 55 runs in just 35 balls. He hammered four sixes and four boundaries during his innings.
The England skipper Brook was full of praise for top-order batter Bethell, who played a key role in England posting a competitive total, as well as all-rounder Will Jacks for his late assault.
“Awesome. Beth played outstandingly. The way that he was rocking back and smacking the spinners into the stands was really nice to watch,” Brook said in the press conference.
England will next take on the West Indies at the same ground in their next World Cup encounter on February 11.
(IANS)
