Jacob Bethell is set to become England’s youngest men’s captain in an international match after being selected to lead the side in three Twenty20s in Ireland next month.
The 21-year-old is on the Test fringes but he is already a white-ball mainstay and the esteem in which he is held is emphasised by his appointment to captain England from 17-21 September in Dublin.
When he does so, Bethell will eclipse the existing record held by Monty Bowden, who was 23 years and 144 days old when he oversaw England in a Test against South Africa in Cape Town in 1888-89.
“Jacob Bethell has impressed with his leadership qualities ever since he has been with the England squads,” said the national selector, Luke Wright. “The series against Ireland will provide him with the opportunity to further develop those skills on the international stage.”
Bethell has received his chance as Harry Brook takes a breather following the one-day and T20 series against South Africa from 2-14 September, the squads for which were also announced on Friday.
The assistant, Marcus Trescothick, will step up as head coach in Ireland, with Brendon McCullum not making the trip, reprising the role he had in England’s white-ball tour of the Caribbean last winter.
The all-format quartet of Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith, Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse have also been taken out of the firing line against Ireland, giving them a rest in preparation for the Ashes later in the year.
The fast bowlers Mark Wood and Gus Atkinson are not in any of the three squads as they start focusing on the Test series against Australia, which gets under way on 21 November in Perth.
Wood had knee surgery in March and missed all of the Test series against India. It was hoped he would play some part against South Africa or Ireland but his competitive comeback may now not be until England’s white-ball trip to New Zealand in October and November.
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England squads
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England ODI squad v South Africa
H Brook (captain), R Ahmed, J Archer, S Baker, T Banton, J Bethell, J Buttler, B Carse, B Duckett, W Jacks, S Mahmood, J Overton, A Rashid, J Root, J Smith.
England T20 squad v South Africa
H Brook (captain), R Ahmed, J Archer, T Banton, J Bethell, J Buttler, B Carse, L Dawson, B Duckett, W Jacks, S Mahmood, J Overton, A Rashid, P Salt, J Smith, L Wood.
England T20 squad v Ireland
J Bethell (captain), R Ahmed, S Baker, T Banton, J Buttler, L Dawson, T Hartley, W Jacks, S Mahmood, J Overton, M Potts, A Rashid, P Salt, L Wood
The uncapped fast bowler Sonny Baker has been rewarded for a string of encouraging showings in the past 12 months and has been included in the ODI squad to play the Proteas and in the group to face Ireland.
“Sonny is a player we have identified for a while and he was impressive during the England Lions tours last winter,” added Wright. “He has carried that form into this season in white-ball cricket with Hampshire and Manchester Originals and deservedly gets his opportunity.”
The seamer Matthew Potts and slow left-armer Tom Hartley have been recalled for the brief visit to Ireland but, despite a number of absentees, there is no recall for the all-rounders Liam Livingstone or Sam Curran.
