Bethell’s first Test century gives England glimmer vs Australia

Jacob Bethell posted his first test century Wednesday and it couldn’t have come at a more crucial time for England, ensuring the fifth and last Ashes test will be decided on Day 5 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

The 22-year-old, Barbados-born allrounder went to the crease in the first over of England’s second innings when Mitchell Starc trapped Zac Crawley lbw on the fifth ball.

He shared an 81-run second-wicket stand with Ben Duckett (42), 32 with Joe Root (6), 102 with Harry Brook (42) and 45 with Jamie Smith (26) to help England reach 302-8 at stumps on Day 4, a lead of 119 runs.

Bethell finished 142 not out from 232 balls, helping England erase the 183-run first-innings deficit and maintain a chance of winning back-to-back tests Down Under. The Australians retained the Ashes with wins in the first three tests, but England is determined to narrow the margin after its drought-breaking win in Melbourne.

“It was special to get the milestone,” Bethell said in a TV interview. “To have the family over ... (and) to top it off with a hundred here is very special.”

In just his sixth test, and second of this series, Bethell found a way to survive while wickets tumbled around him as allrounder Beau Webster (3-51) emerged as the unlikely star for Australia by taking three wickets with his occasional offspin.

Webster took two wickets in three deliveries to swing momentum. He removed Brook, trapped lbw to a ball that turned sharply out of the rough, and Will Jacks, inexcusably hitting out and caught in the deep by Cameron Green for a second-ball duck, as England slumped to 219-5.

A chaotic run out, first ball after the drinks break in the evening session, saw Jamie Smith (26) sent back by Bethell and well out of his ground when Jake Weatherald threw to Marnus Labuschagne to whip off the bails at the bowler’s end.

Bethell was 123 at the time, and England at 264-6, when his injured skipper Ben Stokes went to the crease.

England added just three runs before Webster, bowling around the wicket, enticed Stokes (1) to cut a turning ball to Steve Smith at slip.

Scott Boland then dismissed Carse, giving him two wickets for the innings after a close lbw decision against Root.

Webster’s wickets may have a positive spinoff on a turning pitch for England, which has Bethell, Jacks and possibly Root as spin options and could make chasing 170 or more a tricky prospect.

The Australians didn’t take a specialist spinner into the match, instead relying on part-timers Travis Head and Webster, who also bowls medium pace.

“Certainly didn’t think it would be with spin today,” Webster said of the crucial wickets in his Ashes debut.

The 32 year-old allrounder said the Australians were “very well placed, obviously” to win.

“We’d like to mop up these last two as quickly as we can, hopefully with the new ball around the corner as well, ... and (England) hopefully not too many ahead, and let the top-order boys get the job done.”

England picked up Australia’s last three first-innings wickets for 49 runs after the hosts resumed at 518-7 but the morning session was overshadowed by an injury to Stokes. He bowled 10 deliveries before leaving the field for treatment on a right adductor problem. He didn’t move freely when he batted and there’s doubt over his ability to bowl on Day 5.

“He’s moving pretty gingerly,” Bethell said. “I don’t think that bodes too well for him bowling tomorrow.”

Australia’s commanding innings was built on centuries from stand-in opener Head, his third of the series, and Steve Smith (138) and a late contribution from allrounder Webster, who remained unbeaten on 71.

Smith was 129 overnight but didn’t settle into a rhythm before he was caught behind off Josh Tongue’s bowling, ending a 107-run eighth-wicket partnership with Webster.

The last two wickets fell within six deliveries, with Starc (5) bowled by a full delivery from Tongue that moved late off the seam and off-spinner Will Jacks (1-34) having Scott Boland caught for a first-ball duck at first slip.

The century was Smith’s 13th in Ashes tests and 37th of his career, moving him to sixth on the all-time list.

Agencies