Jacob Bethell says England’s T20 World Cup ‘starts now’ in Super 8s
Jacob Bethell believes the real competition has begun for England as they prepare for the Super 8s stage of the T20 World Cup following a turbulent qualification campaign.
The defending champions finished second in Group C after narrow escapes against Associate nations and a defeat by the West Indies.
Victories over Nepal, Scotland and Italy were enough to progress, despite a controversy regarding pre-seeding that placed all group runners-up in the same pool.
‘Proper competition starts’
England’s path to the next round was far from smooth, relying on a last-ball thriller against Nepal to stay in contention.
Despite the unconvincing start, the squad remains unfazed by their seeding position going into the business end of the tournament.
“I think everyone had the same mindset of the main thing is just to get through to the Super 8s and now we’re here, the proper competition starts,” said Bethell.
“I don’t think anyone would care if they were first or second, to be honest.”
Injury concerns and Sri Lanka test
The Warwickshire all-rounder has been a rare bright spark in a misfiring batting order, though he has been nursing an injury.
Bethell trained on Friday with a bandaged ring finger on his left hand following a fielding mishap against the Caribbean side.
While stitches have prevented him from bowling his left-arm spin, he will be assessed before Sunday’s clash with Sri Lanka in Pallekele.
Rain is forecast for the opener, where England hope to replicate the form shown in a recent series victory at the same venue.
“I think we’re definitely coming back to this part of the world with a lot of confidence,” he added.
“We’re winning games of cricket when we’re not firing, so imagine when we do?”
“From the whole group there were a few nerves at the start. But I think, especially round the batting group, it was just a bit of tentativeness.”
Off-field distractions
Beyond the boundary, the 21-year-old addressed a disciplinary issue involving a night out in New Zealand last November.
The incident, which involved captain Harry Brook, remains under investigation by the Cricket Regulator.
“We obviously made a mistake and we’re sorry for that,” Bethell said.
“But it’s still an ongoing process so I can’t really…”