England batter Jacob Bethell scored his maiden Test century on Day 4 of the final Ashes 2025 Test, bouncing back from first-innings criticism. His unbeaten 142, moving his family to tears, gave England a vital lead and set up a thrilling SCG finale.
England batter Jacob Bethell’s family could not contain their joy and emotions of watching him record his maiden Test century on Day 4 of the fifth and final Test of the ongoing Ashes 2025-26 series at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Wednesday, November 7.
Bethell made his Ashes debut in the fourth Test by replacing Ollie Pope and played a pivotal role in England’s first Test win on Australian soil since 2011 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), scoring 40 in the visitors’ 175-run chase. The young batter retained his place in the playing XI for the final Ashes Test and was dismissed for just 10 runs in the first innings of England’s batting, sparking criticism over his place in the side.
However, Jacob Bethell bounced back in the second innings and crafted a fluent century, guiding England to take a lead after Australia posted a massive first‑innings total of 567 and put the tourists back in the contest at the SCG.
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Bethell’s Maiden Test Century Makes Family Emotional
Jacob Bethell walked in to bat after England’s fall of wicket of opener Zak Crawley at 4/1 and joined Ben Duckett at the crease. The pair formed a solid 81-run stand for the second wicket before Duckett’s dismissal for 42 at 85/2. Thereafter, Bethell had a brief 32-run stand for the third wicket with talismanic batter Joe Root before the latter’s dismissal for 6 at 107/3.
However, Jacob Bethell received solid support from the vice–captain Harry Brook, with whom he shared a 102-run stand for the fourth wicket. Bethell was able to anchor England’s innings and kept the scoreboard steadily with the support of Brook at the other end of the crease, and combined his patience and aggression to get to his maiden three-figure score in his Test career.
Warwickshire batter was batting on 99 when he hit a four off Beau Webster to bring up his maiden first-class ton. As the English crowd and his teammates stood up on their feet to applaud Bethell’s century, the young batter’s family, especially father and mother, could be seen visibly emotional and overwhelmed with joy at witnessing his maiden Test century.
After completing his century, Jacob Bethell stood tall for England amid fall of wickets at regular intervals after Harry Brook’s dismissal at 219/5 and remained unbeaten on 142 off 232 balls as the visitors posted a total of 302/8 in 75 overs and took a 119-run lead at the end of Day 4 and ensured England stayed firmly in the contest, setting up a thrilling finale for the Ashes series at the SCG.
Bethell Aims to Make No.3 His Own
After a string of poor performances in the first three Tests of the Ashes 2025 series, Ollie Pope was dropped from the playing XI for the Boxing Day Test and was replaced by Jacob Bethell. Following his gritty 40-run innings in the MCG Test, Bethell expressed his desire to make a permanent spot in the team, aiming to consistently perform, establish himself, and confidently define his role in the playing XI.
“I’ve still got a lot more to do to call it my position,” Bethell said.
“I would like to make the spot my own. I’d like to just nail down any role in the team.”
In his Test career, Jacob Bethell has aggregated 464 runs, including a century and three fifties, at an average of 46.4 in six matches.
