Barbados-born U-19 cricketer, Jacob Bethell has been appointed vice-captain of England under-19 squad for their ICC World Cup campaign in the Caribbean next month. The left-hander, who completed high school in Barbados and also represented the island in the West Indies Under-15 Championship till 2018, is part of a 15-member squad that will be led by the skipper, Tom Prest.

The holder of a United Kingdom (UK) passport, Jacob Bethell subsequently took up a scholarship in England and signed for Warwickshire earlier this year, making his debut for the county in the T20 Blast. He also featured for England when West Indies under-19s toured the UK for a six-match, one-day series last September.

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England head coach Richard Dawson said the January 14 to February 5 campaign will be playing a role of a stepping stone for the selected group.

During a media interaction, Richard Dawson said, “It’s always a hugely exciting moment for any young cricketer to be selected in a representative age-group squad, especially so when it’s for a World Cup. We’re really looking forward to getting out there and testing ourselves against the best young players in the world, and continuing our development as a side and as individuals.”

England has been installed in Group A alongside minnows United Arab Emirates and Canada, along with Bangladesh, and will be expected to easily advance to the second round.

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Four nations – Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, St Kitts, and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago – will host matches during the tournament, with the final scheduled to be played at the Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in Antigua.

England’s U-19 Squad – Tom Prest (captain), Jacob Bethell (vice-captain), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Aspinwall, Sonny Baker, Nathan Barnwell, George Bell, Josh Boyden, James Coles, Alex Horton, Will Luxton, James Rew, James Sales, Fateh Singh, George Thomas.