Number three has been a problem position for England in The Ashes, with Ollie Pope struggling with his form and substitute Jacob Bethell being sent off for just one of his 20 wickets on the first day of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
So should Bethell have been deployed in the first drop?
The 22-year-old performed well in the spot for New Zealand last winter, hitting his third half-century in his maiden Test series, but he has been far from red-ball cricket of late.
He played just one game for Warwickshire in the County Championship last season, returning to the Test squad for their final home summer match against India after captain Ben Stokes suffered a shoulder injury.
Bethel, who is yet to score a first-class hundred and plays for the England Lions in Australia, was indisputable as he was set to walk away with seven wins and one loss at the MCG in front of a record cricket crowd of 94,199 at the stadium.
Sky Sports’ Michael Atherton said this on his post-play podcast with fellow pundit Nasser Hussain. “Just deal with it.”
Others added: “He’s obviously a very good player…but I think he was hiding in thin air.
“This kid has played very little first-class cricket in the last 12 months and now he’s being pushed out as a number three on a pitch that’s very beneficial (for the bowlers) in front of a crowd of almost 95,000.
Bethel is yet to achieve a first-class hundred in red-ball cricket, with an average score of less than 30
“Should he have been at number three in this game? Well, he handled himself pretty well in New Zealand, but you could have just as easily made the argument, ‘Go to Joe Root, you go up there.’
“There have been discussions like that in the past and I don’t think England want to think about that because of how well they play as a No. 4, but that’s what I thought about Bethel, a young man. I never thought it would be an easy job.”
Atherton had criticized England for not recalling Bethel from his IPL stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore earlier this year and not allowing him to play in the Test against Zimbabwe in May.
Pope remained in third place with 100 hits in that game, and Bethel spent most of the summer delivering drinks to the Test side while playing white-ball games.
Atherton added: “It’s not in hindsight that we’ve been critical of Bethel management. It’s ridiculous that he was put on administrative leave and barely played.”
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Nasser and Athers praise Harry Brook’s approach at the MCG – after a nervy start as he charged to Mitchell Starc’s first ball
“You can’t argue with Brook’s approach — except for the first pitch.”
Bethel, Zak Crowley and Ben Duckett all lost by single digits in Melbourne, with Harry Brook hitting back after Australia’s 152 points all out to leave England 8-3 behind.
The Yorkshireman took the crowd’s breath away after charging Mitchell Starc’s first pitch to begin a short but dizzying innings with 41 off 34 balls. It was the most by any batter that day. He then hit two sixes and a number of fours before being pinned down by Scott Borland.
Brook, along with captain Ben Stokes, capped off a 50-for-55 five-wicket stand from 16-4 with a bold game plan that put Australia in the lead and was praised by Atherton.
The Sky Sports pundit said of Brook: “I have no objection to this approach.
Brook’s 41 off 34 balls was his highest score of the day in Melbourne.
“I probably dispute the shot on the first ball, but if you ask me what you don’t want to see against Australia at 8-3, I think it’s Brook trying to counter-punch.
“He played some exceptional shots and I didn’t think it would last forever, but he was the top scorer that day and the game was about scoring.
“I don’t think you can be too critical of him. The counterpunches were a way to try to change the flow of the fight. The approach was fine.”
“At one point Mitchell Starc had an unbelievable field. Three or four slips and a gully, a fly slip, a deep point and a long-off. That was the impact of Brook hitting cover for six overs.”
Ashes Series in Australia 2025-26
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