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Jacob Bethell is set for the national team to push me in the tough spot” as he gears up to captain the team for the maiden occasion against the Irish on midweek, making him the nation’s youngest men’s captain.

Due to a key player rested for this fast-paced triple-header Twenty20 series in a Dublin suburb, just north of Dublin, the 21-year-old fills the role to further his quick climb in the global game. Bethell made his national team bow last autumn and impressed in his first Test series against the Kiwis at the end of the year. Still working to seal a fixed spot in the Test lineup, he has become an automatic pick in Brendon McCullum’s white-ball teams.

“Baz gave me a ring and told me I was going to be skipper,” said Bethell. “Very little has been discussed of why I’ve been selected for the role. I don’t know the specific logic of those in charge. I suppose it’s maybe just a bit of trust, and demonstrating a belief. It’ll prove nice to observe how I go under stress, and no doubt that the people who chose me would like to see that also.”

“I thrive on when challenges arrive with a fast pace, it often get me up and going. So I prefer those moments, not that they always work. But fingers crossed this one does.”

Even with plenty of veteran players in the lineup to face Ireland, Bethell’s appointment is in tune with the coaching staff’s wilder impulses when it comes to selection. He will need to draw from his previous experience of leading England Under-19s.

Style of Captaincy

“A very young one,” replied a smiling Bethell when questioned what type of captain he is. “What matters most I’ve respected in captains I’ve had previously is how they work with people. Some tactical decision you make is going to pay off, but it’s guiding the lads well so they know you’re backing them. I have no set notions of how I’m going to be.”

He has hit his stride with the batting since he was announced as skipper last month, having notched his first professional century in the last 50-over match against the Proteas less than a two weeks ago. “I didn’t play for a spell and perhaps lost a little bit of form, but regained that groove return about during the Hundred so it’s fantastic to be back feeling good.” He did not get dragged into any in-depth Ashes talk: “My head’s firmly focused to the Ireland games.”

Opposition Dangers

One batsman and another experienced player “are the two key challenges with the bat” for Ireland, said Bethell. The hosts enter short on match practice having had no games since summer – a polar opposite to England – and will be without the whippy left-arm pace of a key bowler, on the recovery from a side strain. Yet, the only finished T20 meeting between these two sides brought an upset in Australia at the global tournament three years ago, a warning that it might not prove all straightforward for the new captain over the coming days.