Sydney [Australia], January 7 : Jacob Bethell announced himself on the biggest stage by scoring his maiden Test century at No. 3 for England against Australia during the fifth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The 22-year-old produced a superb unbeaten 142 on day four, helping England take a slender lead of 119 runs with two wickets still in hand in their second innings and keeping their hopes of a series-ending victory alive.
Batting in a pressure situation, Bethell displayed remarkable maturity and control, drawing widespread praise from former England cricketers and experts. Former England captain Nasser Hussain described the knock as a defining moment in the young batter's career.
"This is where he came of age. It was the innings of a proper No 3," Hussain said on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, as quoted from Sky Sports.
"It was calm, it was composed, technically sound. The composure for a 22-year-old was just exceptional," he added.
Hussain went on to compare Bethell's solidity to that of England's regular No. 3, Ollie Pope.
"For such a good player, Ollie Pope at No 3 often loses balance and jabs at the ball. With Bethell today, he was more solid than I've seen Pope be the whole series really," he said.
Offering further praise, Hussain likened Bethell's approach to that of an England great.
"The biggest compliment I can give him was it was the sort of innings you'd expect David Gower to play. Bowl him a good ball, he'll defend it; bowl him a bad ball, and he'll put it away," he noted.
Hussain also pointed out that England might rue not giving Bethell more opportunities earlier in the series.
"England will regret that the two lads who have played really well here, (Josh) Tongue with the ball and Bethell with the bat, that they didn't start the series," he said.
Reflecting on Bethell's journey, Hussain added that the innings also raised questions for the England setup.
"Bethell is a sort of tick for England, but it's also a negative for the England hierarchy. They did spot him very early and brought him on the tour of New Zealand (last year). He got runs, a 96 in the second Test where he looked good, but since he hasn't been playing," he noted.
"He himself admitted to me in an interview that he's not played enough cricket and he got out of form. He looked frenetic against India (at The Oval this summer), batting in the middle order, because he hadn't been playing. Today, because he played in the last game and now here, he looked really composed. It's a message to the England side: the only way players reach their high ceiling is by playing, and not enough of their cricketers play enough," Hussain explained.
Former England opener Alastair Cook echoed similar sentiments while speaking on TNT Sports, calling the knock a significant milestone.
"It was a coming of age, really," Cook said, as quoted from Sky Sports.
"We must give the selectors some credit now. They backed him, they've seen something and they haven't seen it through domestic form," he noted.
"They've seen it in and around the group, a bit in franchise cricket and quite rightly he had to wait for his chance in this series. But, my word, has he taken his chance. He has just shown us the future of England cricket after Joe Root, because that knock of 142 was of the highest quality," Cook added.
Bethell's innings also earned admiration from former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who praised the young batter on Channel 7.
"What a knock we've just witnessed, it's been flawless," Ponting said, as quoted from Sky Sports.
"It's been so classy. Some of his stroke play has been as good as we've seen from anyone," he added.
Bethell, in his two games of this Ashes series so far, has amassed 193 runs. With a maiden Test hundred at such a crucial juncture of the Ashes, his performance has not only kept England in the contest but also signalled the arrival of a potential long-term pillar in their batting line-up.
After centuries from Travis Head (163), Steve Smith (138), and a cracking 71 by Beau Webster helped Australia score 567 in reply to England's first innings total of 384, Bethell's fine 142* in 232 balls, with 15 fours, helped England end their day at 240/5 and take a 119-run lead.