{"id":194497,"date":"2026-07-18T13:14:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T18:44:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=194497"},"modified":"2026-07-18T13:14:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T18:44:27","slug":"bethell-hails-incredible-sobers-for-turning-point-in-england-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=194497","title":{"rendered":"Bethell hails \u2018incredible\u2019 Sobers for turning point in England career"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

England all-rounder Jacob Bethell thanked the \u201cincredible\u201d Garry Sobers for the key role he played in forging his career following the death of the West Indies legend.<\/p>\n

Sobers, widely regarded as cricket\u2019s most outstanding all-rounder, died aged 89 on Friday, sparking a flood of tributes from all over the cricket world to the Barbadian.<\/p>\n

Bethell, who grew up in Barbados, got to know Sobers as a boy and the former West Indies captain wrote a reference to help him obtain a sports scholarship to Rugby School, Birmingham.<\/p>\n

That set Bethell, now 22, on a path that has seen the batting all-rounder become a mainstay of both England\u2019s Test and white-ball teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cI met him in Barbados, you know when I was about 11 or 12 maybe even slightly younger than that, my uncle was quite close to him,\u201d Bethell told reporters at Lord\u2019s on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe (Sobers) came down to watch me play (cricket) and I think liked what he saw,\u201d added Bethell on the eve of the third one-day international against India — when England will wear black armbands in memory of Sobers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe legend that he was, he had a presence about him and he you know when he came and watched he wanted you to do well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bethell added: \u201cThe major helping point for me personally was helping me get over to England. You know, he wrote wrote a reference for me in terms of backing me to come over here, so I think that went a long way towards getting me into school here and furthering my career over here.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat helped me a lot to get over here and do what I\u2019m doing now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bethell, recalling how he had played golf with the \u201clarger-than-life\u201d Sobers at the Sandy Lane course in Barbados, added: \u201cHe was a very humble guy, that everybody gravitated towards.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time he walked into anywhere, the place would just come alive.<\/p>\n

ALSO READ:<\/b>Sir Garfield Sobers passes away: Tributes pour in from cricket community<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was unbelievable be able to spend a bit of time with him and be around someone of that calibre… Wherever he walked he was seen as a legend.\u201d<\/p>\n

While much too young to have seen Sobers play, Bethell knew from an early age he was an exceptional cricketer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve watched so many YouTube videos and seen what he was like as a player. I never got to watch him live obviously, but to see the flair he had — he\u2019d do everything, bowl both ways, spin and seam, catch everything in the slips. He was incredible,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Published on Jul 18, 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

England all-rounder Jacob Bethell thanked the \u201cincredible\u201d Garry Sobers for the key role he played in forging his career following the death of the West Indies legend. Sobers, widely regarded as cricket\u2019s most outstanding all-rounder, died aged 89 on Friday, sparking a flood of tributes from all over the cricket world to the Barbadian. Bethell,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":194498,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-194497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2286045029.jpg","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":194907,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=194907","url_meta":{"origin":194497,"position":0},"title":"Brian Lara calls for celebration of \u2018father figure\u2019 Garry Sobers","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 20, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Brian Lara has urged the \u201cwhole of the Caribbean\u201d to celebrate Garry Sobers following the death of the West Indies legend. Sobers, widely regarded as cricket\u2019s most outstanding all-rounder, died aged 89 on Friday, sparking a flood of tributes from all over the world. Among his many achievements, Sobers\u2019s 365\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/LARA.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/LARA.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/LARA.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/LARA.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/LARA.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":194261,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=194261","url_meta":{"origin":194497,"position":1},"title":"\u2018The greatest cricketer of all time\u2019 \u2014 When Don Bradman paid tribute to Sir Garfield Sobers","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 17, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Garry Sobers, arguably the greatest all rounder of all time, has died aged 89 West Indies Cricket announced on Friday. \u201cA great innings has come to an end. In our hearts, now and forever, Sir Garfield Sobers,\u201d West Indies Cricket posted on X above a photograph of him titled \u2018Legend.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Sobers_Obit_39_1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Sobers_Obit_39_1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Sobers_Obit_39_1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Sobers_Obit_39_1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Sobers_Obit_39_1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":194791,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=194791","url_meta":{"origin":194497,"position":2},"title":"WI vs NZ: Kensington Oval ODIs to honour the life of Garfield Sobers","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The final two ODIs of the ongoing West Indies and New Zealand series will honour the life and legacy of Garfield Sobers. West Indian great Sobers, who played 93 Test and 1 ODI, passed away on Friday at the age of 89. 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The Barbados-born Sobers, who has died at the age of 89, featured in 93 Tests between 1954 and 1974, amassing 8,032\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HSP175280.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HSP175280.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HSP175280.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HSP175280.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HSP175280.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":194823,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=194823","url_meta":{"origin":194497,"position":4},"title":"Cricket\u2019s original triple threat – Sportstar","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Garry Sobers played for West Indies, his home island of Barbados, Nottinghamshire and South Australia. | Photo Credit: Satish Acharya Garry Sobers played for West Indies, his home island of Barbados, Nottinghamshire and South Australia. | Photo Credit: Satish Acharya Source link","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/July20second202026-Sportstar.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/July20second202026-Sportstar.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/July20second202026-Sportstar.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/July20second202026-Sportstar.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/July20second202026-Sportstar.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":194305,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=194305","url_meta":{"origin":194497,"position":5},"title":"West Indies legend Garry Sobers passes away at age 89","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 17, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Garry Sobers was born with two extra fingers \u2014 one on each hand. 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A graceful and destructive left-handed batsman, \u200ba left-arm bowler equally\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HS4886.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HS4886.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HS4886.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HS4886.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HS4886.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgnRh4-OB3","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=194497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194497\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/194498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=194497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=194497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=194497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}