England’s young star Jacob Bethell has made history by becoming only the second player from the country to score a half-century on his T20 World Cup debut. 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 places him alongside former England great Kevin Pietersen, who was the first England batter to achieve this feat with his 79 against Zimbabwe in Cape Town during the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007.
What Did Jacob Bethell Do?
Bethell entered the game at a crucial moment, as England had just lost opener Phil Salt on the seventh ball of the innings.
Former captain Jos Buttler, who joined the elite club of players with 1,000 T20 World Cup runs, including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Mahela Jayawardene, and David Warner, tried to stabilise the innings with a brisk 22 off 14 balls. However, he was dismissed by Nandan Yadav in the fifth over.
England faced another setback after the powerplay when Tom Banton (2), who struggled from the start, was dismissed by Nepal’s experienced bowler Sandeep Lamichhane in the sixth over.
Under mounting pressure, Bethell, in his first T20 World Cup match, forged a vital 71-run partnership with skipper Harry Brook, who was in great form.
Bethell punished the bad balls while rotating the strike effectively, putting pressure on the opposition, who missed a few run-out opportunities.
The right-handed batter completed his half-century in just 28 balls, marking his third half-century in the 24 matches he has played for his country.
Bethell was eventually caught in the 14th over at long on, chasing an offside-pitched ball from Dipendra Singh, having scored 55 runs in 35 balls, including four sixes and four boundaries.
England skipper Harry Brook praised Bethell for his key role in posting a competitive total and commended 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 was quoted as saying at the press conference.
England will next face the West Indies at the same ground in their World Cup encounter on February 11.
(With inputs from Agencies)
