Jacob Bethell to captain England in Ireland T20Is; Sonny Baker debuts
Jacob Bethell handed England captaincy for Ireland T20Is; Sonny Baker earns first call-up
England have chosen a bold path for next month’s three-match T20I series in Dublin, naming 21-year-old Jacob Bethell as captain and giving 22-year-old fast bowler Sonny Baker a maiden international call-up. Bethell will become England’s youngest men’s international skipper, eclipsing Monty Bowden who led an England touring side in 1888-89 aged 23.
Why England are turning to Bethell
The Barbados-born left-hand batter has long been earmarked as a leader, captaining England Under-19s to the 2022 World Cup semi-final and skippering England Lions last winter. Selector Luke Wright praised his “innate authority and tactical feel,” while assistant coach Marcus Trescothick – head coach for the Ireland leg – has described Bethell as “fearless, organised and popular in the room.”
England’s schedule explains the experiment:
All-format regulars (Brook apart) are being rested after the South Africa home series that finishes 10 days before the Ireland trip.
The ECB wants to audition next-gen leaders before the 2027 World Cup cycle begins.
The low-stakes window – Ireland T20Is sit outside the FTP – provides a proving ground without ranking pressure.
Quick look at Bethell’s 2025 form
Format | Team | Inns | Runs | SR | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
County T20 | Warwickshire | 9 | 260 | 152 | Opened, 2 fifties |
Metro Bank Cup | Bears | 6 | 248 | 106 | Avg 49.6 |
The Hundred | Birmingham Phoenix | 8 | 189 | 167 | Often bowled PP off-spin |
Sonny Baker: pace prospect graduates
Hampshire’s right-arm quick, clocked at 90-mph and mentored by Kyle Abbott, topped the Powerplay wicket chart in the Blast (14 at 7.1 econ) and lit up The Hundred for Manchester Originals. Lions success in Sri Lanka last winter (11 wickets at 16) pushed him into the selectors’ notebook; Wright says the Ireland tour “lets us see how his heavy length translates to international white-ball surfaces”.
Rehan Ahmed and spin balance
Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed returns to both the South Africa and Ireland squads after expanding his batting credentials – two Championship hundreds for Leicestershire and a 43-ball 71 in the Blast – while left-arm spinner Tom Hartley joins the Ireland group, hinting at two-spinner plans on Dublin’s typically slow September pitches.
Squad matrix and workload management
Series | Captain | Matches | Coaching lead | Notable inclusions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
SA ODIs (Sep 7-13) | Harry Brook | 3 | Rob Key | Baker, Ahmed, Archer return |
SA T20Is (Sep 14-21) | Harry Brook | 3 | Rob Key | Dawson recalled, Wood in |
IRE T20Is (Sep 17-21) | Jacob Bethell | 3 | Marcus Trescothick | Baker debut, Hartley, Potts |
Overlap dates mean two squads will train in parallel; Brook’s group finishes the SA T20s at The Oval on 21 Sep while Bethell’s side plays Ireland the same evening at Malahide, underscoring England’s deep rotation model.
What the selections signal
Leadership pipeline – ECB previously trialled Moeen Ali (Pakistan 2024) and Will Jacks (WI tour warm-ups) but Bethell is the first under-25 to get the armband since Jos Buttler captained a makeshift ODI XI in 2015.
Pace succession – Baker joins a young cartel with Brydon Carse, Saqib Mahmood and Jamie Overton vying to support an injury-managed Jofra Archer.
Spin depth – Rashid (35) remains first choice; grooming Ahmed/Hartley secures variety for Asian cycles.
Selector’s view
“Bethell leads without fuss and thinks two balls ahead; Baker gives us point-of-difference speed. Ireland will test both under lights, with a partisan crowd, and that’s exactly the environment we want,” Wright summed up.
England’s white-ball rebuild is clearly shifting into the audition phase. If Bethell and Baker land well in Dublin, the conveyor belt towards the 2026 Champions Trophy – and the 2027 ODI World Cup in southern Africa – will look that much richer.