Jacob Bethell yesterday fulfilled his rich potential with a chanceless maiden Test century as England built a fragile 119-run second-innings lead with two wickets remaining to give themselves a glimmer of hope in the final Ashes Test.
At the end of day four at the Sydney Cricket Ground, England had reached 302-8 with Bethell imperious on 142 not out and No. 10 Matthew Potts yet to score.
England are desperate for another morale-boosting win after victory in the previous Test at Melbourne. Australia lead 3-1 and have already retained the Ashes.
Photo: Reuters
It was the 22-year-old Bethell who kept their faint hopes alive after Zak Crawley fell early and first-innings centurion Joe Root departed cheaply.
He powered to his hundred off 162 balls by smashing a lofted drive over midwicket for four.
“It’s pretty special, it’s not really sunk in yet. I haven’t really had time to kind of reflect on it,” Bethell told reporters.
Bethell had his parents in the stands and raised his bat towards them as he passed the milestone.
“To do that and have the family there was very special,” the left-hander said. “My dad was a cricketer so he knows how it feels to be out there batting, but I don’t think that stops him from getting any less nervous.”
It was not just Bethell’s maiden Test ton, but the only one he has scored in red-ball cricket, with his previous best 96 against New Zealand.
Over the past 50 years only Alastair Cook, David Gower and Ollie Pope were younger when they scored their first Test century for England.
Bethell was recalled for Melbourne to replace the underperforming Pope, scoring a gritty 40 in difficult batting conditions.
With England having already lost the series and looking to reset after the Ashes, Bethell was quickly hailed as a player for the future.
“This was a coming of age,” former England captain Cook said on TNT Sports. “Bethell affirmed what we already knew about his talent. He delivered on the big stage on a tough wicket, with the game on the line. I think it was right that he had to wait for his chance, but he has taken his chance and shown the future of England cricket batting after Joe Root.”
Another former England captain, Michael Vaughan, echoed Cook’s sentiments.
“Seeing how Jacob Bethell has played — his technique is incredible. To play at this level for long periods of time, you have to have that,” he said.
“He has played the ball straight, right under his eyeline,” he said. “Jacob Bethell has played in a way that Test match cricket has been played for many generations. It was a masterclass in technique and composure.”
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
MARRED FINAL: As most of Senegalese players walked off the pitch after a controversial decision, some supporters threw objects and attempted to get onto the pitch Senegal on Sunday won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as Pape Gueye’s extra-time winner sunk hosts Morocco 1-0 after a chaotic final that saw the eventual champions storm off the pitch late in the game. Brahim Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with a controversial spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time as ugly scenes broke out in the stands. However, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted “Panenka” chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
RSS