Jacob Bethell’s coming-of-age century offers silver lining for England as defeat looms in Sydney
Who is Jacob Bethell? England’s ‘silver lining’ at end of torrid Ashes series
- Jacob Bethell, 22, scored an unbeaten 142 runs in his sixth Test match at the SCG, marking his first first-class century.
- His high-class innings offered a glimmer of hope for England on day four of the Ashes Test, despite the team heading towards a likely 4-1 series defeat.
- Bethell, dubbed 'Starboy' and a 'diamond', weathered early pressure from Australian bowlers and built crucial partnerships with Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Harry Brook.
- The performance highlighted England's potential regret for not introducing Bethell, a late series arrival, sooner, as he had previously shown promise in other formats.
- England captain Ben Stokes sustained a right adductor injury while bowling and was dismissed for one, adding to the team's injury woes and overall struggles in the series.