The Ashes 2025-26: Jacob Bethell comes of age with Sydney century against Australia

Few young careers have been as regularly discussed as Bethell’s.

An Under-19 international who moved to the UK from Barbados aged 12 for a cricket scholarship, he was plucked for his debut in New Zealand in 2024 despite being a batter without a professional century to his name.

His first came against South Africa and the white ball in September. He is now the fifth man to score his first first-class hundred for England.

“There’s not much he does that doesn’t look good,” said former England bowler Steven Finn.

“When he fields he looks good and when he bowls he looks good. With bat in hand, he looks fluent, natural and born to play international cricket.”

He faced more deliveries in this innings than he did in the entire English summer, having begun it alongside India superstar Virat Kohli at the Indian Premier League.

There is a world where Ollie Pope did not make his century against Zimbabwe at the start of last summer and Bethell played the entire Test series against India before beginning this Ashes series as England’s number three.

Instead, a tortured five from 31 balls in the fifth Test defeat by India after months on the sidelines effectively sealed his fate.

Who knows how this series may have ended had England backed the Bethell-shaped feeling in their gut.

Pope had 15 innings against Australia and did not pass 50. Bethell has one of England’s best hundreds down under in his second Ashes Test.

“He left the ball really well,” said Cook. “A real classy innings.

“Compare that to India when he looked like he didn’t know how to score against high-class Indian bowling and he ran down the wicket.

“Here he has been able to soak up the pressure and have confidence that he will get those balls.”

Though his place at number three is now secure in England’s post-Ashes future, the road ahead is no clearer for Bethell.

He will have eight days at home before departing for Sri Lanka and the T20 World Cup.

Afterwards he is due to return to the IPL rather than consolidate his red-ball form in April and May.

“He’s learning on the job, which is an unbelievable effort,” added Cook.

“What we are seeing now the more we watch him is how he needs to build his career on these innings.”