The Ashes: England’s Jacob Bethell Scores Century in Sydney Test

Sydney: England’s young batsman Jacob Bethell has scored a remarkable century in the 5th and final Test of the Ashes series being played in Sydney. This century marks Bethell’s first in first-class cricket, adding another significant achievement to his early career.

Bethell had been on the bench for the first three matches of the series but was given a chance in the fourth match, where he contributed 40 runs in a key role to England’s victory. His breakthrough century came on the fourth day of the Sydney Test, where he was at the crease after Mitchell Starc dismissed Jack Crawley in the opening over.

A Historic First-Class Century

Despite having no first-class century prior to this, Bethell was given the opportunity to debut for England in Test cricket. He reached his century off 162 balls, hitting 13 fours along the way. He completed the milestone just before the tea break, with a boundary that brought the crowd to their feet. This achievement also made him just the fifth England player to score a century in their first Test match appearance in first-class cricket.

England’s Century Makers in First-Class Cricket

Bethell joins an elite list of English players who have scored their first first-class century in a Test match, including:

• Henry Wood vs South Africa, Cape Town, 1892
• Jack Russell vs Australia, Old Trafford, 1989
• Stuart Broad vs Pakistan, Lord’s, 2010
• Gus Atkinson vs Sri Lanka, Lord’s, 2024
• Jacob Bethell vs Australia, Sydney, 2026

This incredible achievement in the Ashes series shows the potential and rising star of Jacob Bethell, making a lasting impression in one of cricket’s most historic rivalries.