England skipper Brook praises young all-rounders Bethell, Rehan ahead of white-ball heavy schedule

London [UK], August 20 (ANI): England captain Harry Brook hailed young all-rounders Rehan Ahmed and Jacob Bethell for their recent performances, calling the former a "fantastic talent who has risen to the occasion", while pointing out Bethell's potential to be an "aggressive" captain for England.

Brook will be rested during the three-match T20I series against Ireland in September, with Bethell, 21 years of age, set to become England's youngest captain in international cricket. On the other hand, Rehan has gained acclaim for his fine performances with bat and ball in the County Championship and The Hundred.

Speaking of Bethell, as quoted by Sky Sports, Brook said that he has "great potential" to be a future captain for England.

"He thinks very well about the game and is always trying to move it forward, like I am. We think similar. I think he will be an aggressive captain. He is always looking to put opposition batters and bowlers under pressure. That is what we have asked for, and he does that in abundance," he added.

The 21-year-old has enjoyed a solid stint across all formats since taking his debut caps in all of them last year, having scored 869 runs so far at an average of 37.78 with eight fifties in 30 innings and a best score of 96. With the ball, he has taken 14 wickets at an average of 32.00, having best figures of 3/72.

So far in The Hundred competition, Bethell has not been in the best of the form, scoring 80 runs in five innings, with recent knocks of 48 and 18* marking an improvement in his stats after a series of low scores for Birmingham Phoenix.

Brook also gave his high praise to Rehan, a spin bowling all-rounder, who is featured in white-ball squads to face South Africa after a fruitful domestic season, which saw him bat as a number three for Leicestershire in the ongoing County Championship. He scored 760 runs in 10 matches and 16 innings at an average of 50.66, with five centuries and a fifty at a healthy strike rate of over 75, while also snapping 23 wickets at an average of 19.00, with best figures of 7/93 and two five-wicket hauls.

For England, he has taken 44 wickets in 21 international matches, with his last international outing coming against the West Indies last year.

Brook spoke on the 21-year-old Rehan, "He is a fantastic talent and has gone up a level this year with the bat. I am glad he is batting in the top three for Rockets as well.

"He has been given good opportunities and risen to the occasion, while he is skilled with the ball and good in the field, which is what we look for. He has all three attributes to be a very good player," he concluded.

In the ongoing The Hundred tournament, Rehan has scored 114 runs in five matches at an average of 28.50, with a best score of 45*, while also taking five wickets at an average of above 17, emerging as a handy all-round option for Trent Rockets.

England squads for the rest of the white-ball summer

ODI series vs South Africa: Harry Brook (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Sonny Baker, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jamie Smith.

T20 series vs South Africa: Harry Brook (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Luke Wood.

T20 series vs Ireland: Jacob Bethell (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Sonny Baker, Tom Banton, Jos Buttler, Liam Dawson, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Luke Wood. (ANI)

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