According to Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain, Jacob Bethel evoked memories of David Gower with his stylish yet subdued maiden Test century, which saw him finish third for England in the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney.
Bethel smashed a sublime unbeaten 142 on the fourth day at the Sydney Cricket Ground, giving England a 119-run lead with two wickets remaining in the second innings and a glimmer of hope for a series-ending victory.
Sir Alastair Cook praised Bethel on TNT Sport as “the future of English cricket”, while on Australian broadcaster Channel 7 Stuart Broad described the supremely talented 22-year-old as a “diamond”.
“This is where he came of age,” Hussain said on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast. “That was a true No. 3 inning.
“He was calm, composed and technically sound. For a 22-year-old, that calmness was exceptional.”
“For such a good player, No. 3 Ollie Pope often gets off-balance and jabs at the ball. Today at Bethel, he was more solid than Pope we’ve seen throughout the series.”
Hussain added: “The biggest compliment I can give him is that it was the kind of innings you would expect from David Gower.
“If you throw a good ball, he’ll protect you. If you throw a bad ball, he’ll take it away.”
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Nasser Hussain believes England will regret not starting the series with Jacob Bethel.
Bethel, on Maiden Teston – “I knew it was coming”
Bethel has long been touted as a future talent and was a surprise selection when he was snapped up in the Test squad for last year’s winter tour of New Zealand. He is yet to score a century in any format and has never batted at number three in red-ball cricket before.
Bethel, who had the highest score in county cricket with 93, showed great promise with a 96 in the second Test in Wellington, and his first professional hundred followed in the ODI against South Africa in the summer.
The first-class virgin Ton still had to be removed from the list, but he didn’t care at all.
“I knew it was coming,” Bethel told reporters after the fourth day’s play in Sydney. “I’m really happy to have crossed that milestone. It hasn’t really hit me yet.
“It gives me the confidence to keep doing it, especially since people stop talking about it.
“I got 100 (ODI) in the summer and had to wait a while to raise the bat again, but the feeling is addictive. It’s pretty special.”
Despite Bethel’s confident demeanor, he had to wait a bit to reach those magical triple digits, as he was stuck in the “nervous 90s” for about 20 minutes.
“Honestly, I felt OK,” Bethel told TNT Sports. “I was a little nervous, but not as much as I was in New Zealand when I forgot to look at the ball and got sent off (scoring 96).
“I just focused on what I was going to do throughout the inning, watching the ball and making plays.
“Cricket is a strange thing. When they field up and score 99, you think, ‘Oh, what difference does one run make?'” It’s a big difference.
“I’m glad I was able to cross the line.”
And Bethel eventually somehow got over the line too, skipping down the pitch to set up Beau Webster’s off-spin delivery and smashing a four out to deep midwicket, to the visibly emotional mother and father watching from the stands.
“It was a very nice moment. He was taking his time and working on getting over the ’90s. He looked as calm as he had all day,” Hussein added.
“His first Test hundred and obviously his first Ashes hundred were spent with his mum and dad at the SCG, which is one of the great cricket grounds in the world.
“His mother was all smiles, but his father was just trying to hold back tears. It was an emotional moment and something really special.”
“Master Class”, “Perfect” – Cricket’s take on Bethel’s “coming of age”
Sir Alastair Cook talks about TNT Sports:
“Really, it was coming of age.
“We have to give some credit to the selectors now, they backed him and saw something, but they didn’t see it in domestic form.
“They’ve seen it in and around the group and in franchise cricket, so it’s no wonder he had to wait for his chance in this series.
‘The Future of England Cricket’ – Jacob Bethell hits stunning maiden Test century on day 4 of 5th Ashes Test
“But in my words, he took the chance. He showed us the future of English cricket after Joe Root, because that knock of 142 was of the highest quality.”
Ricky Ponting from Australian broadcaster Channel 7:
“What an amazing shock what we just witnessed, but it was perfect.
“It was very classy. Some of his stroke play was the best we’ve ever seen.”
Michael Vaughan Test Match Special:
“What we witnessed today is something very special.
“It was a technical masterclass, a masterclass in composure and composure. And it was incredible to think that he was playing against Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland on a tricky pitch and England had won by 180 in the first over.
“We have seen a masterclass in batting from guys who let the ball come and caress the ball.
“It was a nostalgic feeling. Harry Brook is a lovely player, but give me Jacob Bethel or Joe Root any time in Test match cricket.”
More from Nasser Hussain on Sky Sports Cricket Podcast:
“England will regret not starting the series with the two players who played so well here, (Josh) Tann with the ball and Bethel with the bat.
“Bethel is kind of a thorn in England’s side, but he’s also a negative for the English hierarchy. They discovered him very early on and took him on the tour of New Zealand[last year].”
“He batted up, scored 96 (in the second Test) and looked good, but he hasn’t played.
“He himself admitted in an interview that he wasn’t playing enough cricket and was out of form. Since he wasn’t playing, he was a middle-order batsman and looked frantic against India (at the Oval this summer).
“He seemed really settled today because he played in the last game and now he’s here.
“This is a message to the England side that the only way for players to reach a high ceiling is to play and cricketers are not playing enough.”
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