Jacob Bethell’s solid ton in Sydney strengthens his case — why England should back the young all-rounder beyond short-term results.
Late on the fourth day of the fifth Ashes 2025-26 Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), England’s batting unravelled amid a spell of chaos. Four wickets fell for just 48 runs, including that of their injured captain, Ben Stokes. Yet, at the other end, Jacob Bethell remained unmoved, raising his bat for a maiden Test century and marking the moment with understated composure.
There was no roar to the heavens, but a cool acknowledgement to the SCG crowd. Bethell waved his bat in the direction of his emotional parents, having been relieved from soaking 23 deliveries in the 90s. The Southpaw, in this process, provided a chink of light in England’s dark time, where they lost the Ashes in 11 days.
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Jacob Bethell’s maiden first-class century writes England’s future
Bethell’s unbeaten 142 by the end of the fourth day’s play gives a reflection of Stokes’ century from the 2013-14 Ashes trip. It was a nerveless performance from the Barbados-born, who rushed into the middle at 4-1 in the opening over of the second innings. That superb knock saw Steve Smith shaking his hand and Stokes giving him a pat on the head, heading into the visiting dressing room.
Without Bethell, England would have been beaten in less than four days. The scoreline remained unescapable, with them leading by just 119, and their bowling being reduced by Stokes’ groin injury.
To put context to Bethell’s batting, no England batter notched up more than 42 and lasted longer than 55 balls in the entire innings. The Warwickshire batter himself has faced 232 of the 450 legal deliveries during the knock. He actually made Joe Root pale at the crease. The former England captain, fresh from his 41st red-ball century in the first innings, could hardly put bat on ball.
Root made six painful runs in 37 balls before being trapped leg before the stumps by Scott Boland. Meanwhile, the situation looked like a bed of roses for Bethell, who kept finding gaps to move the scoreboard. His timing on the superb drives was fabulous. Bethell was equally strong in punching the short balls off the backfoot.
He wasn’t restless in spending 10 deliveries on 99 before dancing down the track to nail Beau Webster over wide mid-on to celebrate his century. The 22-year-old reflected on his approach, where he didn’t look ahead of himself.
“That’s probably the blueprint in these conditions. Obviously, conditions will change when we go back to England and stuff like that. But I found a really nice zone in terms of scoring and being able to throw a punch without taking too much risk.” Bethell expressed to TNT Sports at the end of the fourth day’s play.
It was 2014 when England made a trip to Barbados for their Test series against the West Indies. That was the first glimpse of Bethell in Root’s eyes, who returned home to call the former ‘the next best thing.’
“I tried to get Yorkshire to sign him when he got to about 12 or 13. I saw him playing an Under-12 game (in Barbados) and scored a century in 20 overs. I mean, he was half a size of everyone else. He seems to be an old soul at a young age. The way he plays with maturity is well beyond his years. Well, he has all the shots.” Root spoke on the ‘Stick to Cricket’ podcast.
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A star has been born here at the SCG .. The tempo / Technique and class of Jacob Bethel today is the blue print for Englands future Test batters .. #Ashes
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) January 7, 2026
Jacob Bethell solves England’s Test number 3 puzzle
England have scrambled massively at number three in the longest format. Since the beginning of 2024, their regular red-ball number 3, Ollie Pope, has struggled for his 723 runs at 30.12 against the top five-ranked Test sides. That remains the second-lowest average for a number three in world cricket among those who have scored over 400 runs against the top-five ranked Test sides. In the same period, Bethell managed 413 runs at 59 with three fifties and one century against that opposition.
In normal circumstances, Bethell would have played the four-day Test against Zimbabwe in May last year. But due to the deal between the ECB and BCCI, the left-handed batter stayed back in India to complete his IPL commitments. That was where Pope grabbed the opportunity with a 171-run knock in 166 balls.
However, Pope’s 125 runs in six innings of the Ashes 2025-26 opened up Bethell’s return to the eleven. In his very second innings at the MCG, the latter creamed a fine 40-run knock in 46 balls. That was a massive contribution for England’s successful 178-run chase in two days.
With the spinners’ role being minimised in this series, Bethell didn’t get many chances with the ball. But his 1-52 in 15.2 overs in Sydney was a sample size example of how he can do the hold-up job in such conditions. Moreover, he could prove to be a vital campaigner in England’s trips to the subcontinent.
England, as of now, hope to see Bethell shoulder their lead in Sydney to at least over 175. That will perhaps give them a tiny chance to end the nightmarish trip on a high with a potential scoreline of 3-2 rather than 4-1.
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