England youngster Jacob Bethell cracked a maiden century Wednesday in the fifth Ashes test against Australia to cement himself as a star of the future. His unbeaten 142-off-232 helped England to take a 119-run lead at the end of Day 4 with only two wickets left in the second innings. Bethell, 22, powered to his hundred in style off 162 balls in Sydney, raising his bat towards his emotional family in the stands. Remarkably, it was not just a maiden test ton but the only one he has scored in red-ball cricket, with his previous best 96 against New Zealand. Bethell was recalled for the fourth test in Melbourne to replace Pope, scoring a gritty 40 in difficult batting conditions with the No 3 position now his to lose.

Source: Dhaka Tribune January 07, 2026 08:45 UTC