Bethell 'learned a lot' from IPL experience ahead of England heroics

Bethell, who only played twice for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, struck 82 runs in 53 deliveries as England emerged victorious by an enormous 238 runs.

Indeed, England posted their second-biggest ODI win by runs, trailing only their 242-run victory against Australia at Trent Bridge in 2018.

Having just arrived back from IPL duty after missing the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, Bethell wasted little time in clicking into gear with a stunning batting display.

Bethell hit a six in five consecutive overs in which England plundered 86 runs and effectively settled the match.

The 21-year-old Warwickshire all-rounder, who shared a seventh-wicket stand of 98 from 44 balls with Will Jacks and also took a wicket, was named man of the match at his home ground.

"It's pretty special to play here [at Edgbaston] for the first time for England and to top it off with a win and put in a good performance is special," Bethell said.

And he cited conversations with Virat Kohli, his RCB team-mate, as key to tackling international cricket.

"I learned a lot. I found the experience very beneficial for my game," Bethell added.

"I feel like I'm a better player than when I went to India two months ago. Virat Kohli was great [for advice] - all I had to do was ask."

We've got a real star on our hands in Jacob BethellSee every boundary from his incredible innings: https://t.co/hG2xb0BGxw#ENGvWI | #EnglandCricket pic.twitter.com/bTprgHpyDr

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 29, 2025

It was a phenomenal display from England, whose top seven each reached at least 30 runs in an ODI first.

Harry Brook was among them and made a dream start to life as England's white-ball captain, while also marking the match with an exceptional fielding display.

Indeed, Brook took five catches, the most by an England fielder in an ODI.

"That was a pretty phenomenal performance from the boys. Nice to get the series under way in good fashion," Brook added.

"I'm not concerned [about no one converting their runs into centuries]. We got 400 runs! That is something we can look at, and we've been speaking about.

"Four of us got 50-plus scores. If one of us kicks on, that's a complete performance.

"We've got so much power. Smudge [Jamie Smith] started really well in the powerplay, put them under an immense amount of pressure.

"That allowed people down the order to try to hit it out of the park. The tempo of our innings was spot on.