Jacob Bethell produced a knock of rare composure and courage to haul England back into the fifth and final Ashes Test, scoring a chanceless maiden Test century as the contest headed for a tense finish at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!By stumps on day four, England were 302 for 8 in their second innings, holding a slender 119-run lead, with Bethell unbeaten on a superb 142 and Matthew Potts yet to open his account. With Australia needing just two wickets on the final day, the match remains finely poised.
The 22-year-old left-hander stood tall as wickets fell regularly around him, rescuing England after early blows left them reeling. Zak Crawley was dismissed in the first over by Mitchell Starc, who continued his dominance in the series, before Ben Duckett, dropped on 38, failed to capitalise and was bowled for 42. Joe Root, fresh from a first-innings 160, endured a scratchy stay and was trapped lbw for six by Scott Boland.Bethell, however, looked unflappable. Compact in defence and decisive in attack, he brought up his maiden Test hundred in style off 162 balls, becoming the youngest England batter to score a century in an Ashes Test in Australia in recent times. Remarkably, it was also his first hundred in red-ball cricket, surpassing his previous best of 96.Momentum briefly swung back to Australia when part-time off-spinner Beau Webster struck twice in three balls, removing Harry Brook (42) and Will Jacks (0). “I certainly didn’t think I would impact with spin this game,” Webster said, finishing with figures of 3 for 51. “There was a bit of wear and tear from Starc’s footmarks, and we made the most of it.”England’s troubles deepened when Jamie Smith was run out following a mix-up with Bethell, while captain Ben Stokes, clearly hampered by a groin issue, lasted just five balls before edging Webster for one. Brydon Carse also fell cheaply, but Bethell continued to farm the strike and push England ahead.Earlier, Australia had piled up 567, built on Travis Head’s 163 and skipper Steve Smith’s 138, to take a commanding first-innings lead of 183. Smith’s innings was his 13th Ashes century, second only to Don Bradman.
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