Jacob Bethell Withdraws From The Hundred Due to Knee Injury

England all-rounder Jacob Bethell has withdrawn from the 2026 edition of The Hundred due to a knee ailment. Jacob Bethell had an MRI scan on his right knee on July 20, and the England medical staff is waiting for the results before deciding the severity of the injury and the length of his recovery.

Jacob Bethell  sustained the injury during England’s recently concluded ODI series against India. Despite the setback, he had an amazing all-round effort in the third one-day international at Lord’s Cricket Ground, scoring 91 runs and taking two wickets to help England win the series 2-1. As a precaution, he has been ruled out of The Hundred, where he was scheduled to captain the Birmingham Phoenix.

Over the last year, the left-handed batter has emerged as one of England’s most promising multi-format players, and he is now expected to bat third in the upcoming Test series against Pakistan, which begins next month.

England will be hoping the injury does not necessitate surgery, as his absence would leave a significant void in the middle order, forcing the team to reconsider its strategy ahead of the series.

The Hundred was also intended to provide Jacob Bethell with significant leadership experience, since he is considered one of England’s future captains. He already led England in a T20I series against Ireland last year and is regarded as a long-term leadership contender.

With concerns about managing Harry Brook’s workload across all three formats, Jacob Bethell  has emerged as a potential candidate for future captaincy responsibilities. In his place, Donovan Ferreira will lead the Hundred.

The sixth edition of The Hundred kicks off on Tuesday at The Oval, with MI London facing Manchester Super Giants.

Following the ownership auction, both teams will enter the season with new identities, with MI London joining the Ambani family’s worldwide cricket portfolio and Manchester Super Giants owned by Sanjiv Goenka, who already owns the IPL and SA20 franchises of the same name.

Meanwhile, former England cricketer Ben Stokes has decided to forego The Hundred and instead play Durham in the One-Day Cup.