Birmingham Phoenix England star ruled out of The Hundred

Birmingham Phoenix’s hopes of winning The Hundred have been dealt a blow after England star Jacob Bethell was ruled out of the competition by injury.

The 22-year-old has failed to recover from a knee injury in time to take part and will continue his rehabilitation with England over the coming weeks.

He sustained the injury while on duty with England and was due to captain the Phoenix for the first time in 2026 - but that honour will instead by handed to Donovan Ferreira.

Bethell said: "It's frustrating to miss out on The Hundred, especially representing Birmingham Phoenix in front of our supporters at Edgbaston. Unfortunately, I need to take the time to get back to full fitness.

"My focus now is on completing my rehabilitation and returning fully fit. I'd like to thank the fans, my teammates and the medical staff for all their support, and I'll be cheering the boys on throughout the competition."

Birmingham will announce Bethell’s replacement in due course, and head coach Shane Bond added: "We're all incredibly disappointed for Jacob and gutted he won’t be able to join us this year. It’s frustrating to lose a player of his quality, not least your captain, this close to the tournament but his long-term fitness has to be the priority.

“Everyone at the club wishes him the very best with his recovery and we look forward to seeing him back on the field as soon as possible.

“In Donovan Ferreira we have a real leader who knows what it takes to go deep into the competition. He’s won it before and will be a great person for the younger members of the squad to learn from. We’re lucky to have someone of his stature to step into the captaincy.”

Meanwhile, Warwickshire batting coach Matt Walker will leave the club at the end of the season to become head coach at Sussex.

Bears’ head coach Ian Westwood said: “We’re naturally disappointed to lose Walks but being offered a head coach role is a great opportunity and we would never want to stand in his way.

“On a personal level, having somebody with Walks’ experience to bounce ideas off has been invaluable and the impact he’s had on the group has been fantastic.

“He’ll be missed in the dressing room but hopefully we can have a strong finish to the season and end his time with us on a high.”

Walker added: “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Bears and would like to thank Westy, the players, staff and supporters for making me feel so welcome.

“This is a fantastic club with great people and tremendous ambition. The chance to join Sussex as head coach is something I’m incredibly proud of and personally, it gives me the opportunity to move closer to my family.

“My focus for the remainder of the season is on helping the Bears achieve as much success as possible before I leave.”