Jacob Bethell Shines with Century in T20 World Cup Semifinal Despite England's Narrow Loss
Bethell's Remarkable Performance
In a thrilling semifinal match at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on March 6, England's all-rounder Jacob Bethell showcased his talent with a stunning century, although his team fell short against India by just seven runs. This performance marked Bethell as the fourth player to achieve a century across all formats for England in international cricket.
Just two months after his impressive 154-run innings at the Sydney Cricket Ground during the final Ashes Test against Australia, Bethell once again rose to the occasion. Facing immense pressure with England at 95/4, he unleashed a powerful batting display, particularly against spinner Varun Chakravarthy, scoring 105 runs off just 48 balls, including eight fours and seven sixes. However, his innings ended in the final over due to a run-out by Hardik Pandya and Sanju Samson while England needed 30 runs from six balls.
Bethell's first international century came against South Africa in an ODI last September. He now joins the ranks of Jos Buttler, Dawid Malan, and Harry Brook as England's fourth all-format centurion in men's cricket.
His century is also the second fastest in T20 World Cup history, achieved in 45 balls, trailing only New Zealand's Finn Allen, who scored a remarkable 33-ball century in the first semifinal against South Africa. Bethell is now the second player to score a century in T20 World Cup knockout matches and holds the record for the highest score in such matches.
Throughout the ongoing T20 World Cup, Bethell has accumulated 280 runs in eight innings, averaging 35.00 with a strike rate of 152.17, including one century and one half-century. In his T20I career, he has scored 697 runs in 31 matches, averaging 29.04 with a strike rate nearing 150, featuring one century and three fifties.
Overall, in 58 international matches, Bethell has amassed 1,776 runs at an average of 33.50, with three centuries and 11 fifties in 60 innings, boasting a top score of 154.
Batting first, India set a challenging target of 253/7 in 20 overs, thanks to a blistering 89 not out from Sanju Samson off 42 balls, alongside contributions from Shivam Dube (43 runs), Ishan Kishan (39 runs), Hardik Pandya (27 runs), and Tilak Varma (21 runs). Despite being in a tough spot at 95/4, England fought back with a 77-run partnership between Bethell and Will Jacks (35 runs), but ultimately fell short, finishing at 246/7.