Australia’s decision to snub spinner at the SCG for the first time since 1888 came back to bite them on day four of the fifth Ashes Test with England prodigy Jacob Bethell showing the Bazballers how it’s done with a brilliant century.
Beau Webster switched from seamers to spin and skipper Steve Smith had to turn to Travis Head to roll down his offies as the lack of a specialist tweaker was exposed.
Australia could have sealed a 4-1 Ashes victory on Wednesday but will now come back for day five with England still holding out hope of an unlikely comeback win after reaching 8-302 at stumps, a lead of 119.
The Aussie camp owes an apology to SCG curator Adam Lewis, who has prepared a near-perfect surface – one that offered encouragement for the fast bowlers throughout the contest, rewarded batters who applied themselves and has started to deteriorate in the second half of the match, producing plenty of spin.
England couldn’t escape their Bazball brain fades with Will Jacks out to a wild second-ball slog and Jamie Smith run out on 26 after a mix-up with Bethell immediately after the final drinks break.
Bethell showed maturity beyond his 23 years to compile 142 from 232 deliveries, his maiden hundred at first-class level, let alone Tests, where he is playing just his sixth match and second of this series.
The talented left-hander was stuck on 99 for seven deliveries across the course of four agonising overs before he lofted Webster over wide long on to the boundary to bring his father Graham to tears as he embraced his family in the stands.
“It’s still going to be a nervous chase, whatever it is,” former Australian spinner Kerry O’Keeffe mused on Fox Cricket.
“There’s enough tricks in this pitch to make it inconvenient and uncomfortable but it’s probably not enough.”
Irrespective of the result from the final match of the series, England will return home with their tails between their legs after surrendering the urn in just 11 days of the first three Tests.
But they have hope for a better future after unearthing Bethell as a potential star at the first drop position, which has long been a problem area.
FIRST TEST MATCH HUNDRED!
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 7, 2026
And it's the first of many for theJacob Bethell! pic.twitter.com/hxuIaDaDJk
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Bethell had ice in his veins throughout his even-tempered knock as it’s in the blood of his nation – Barbados, that is. Desmond Haynes, Gordon Greenidge, Garfield Sobers or the three Ws, Frank Worrall, Everton Weekes or Clyde Walcott, would have been proud to have that innings on their resume.
Webster’s haul of 3-51 from 13 overs ameliorated Australia’s spin problem but it was clear at the toss and plain as day on Wednesday that Todd Murphy should have been picked ahead of struggling allrounder Cameron Green.
If nothing else, the Test was a chance for Murphy to showcase his wares while Nathan Lyon is sidelined with injury to give the selectors further evidence about whether he will or won’t be the veteran offie’s long-term successor.
Mitchell Starc continued his dominance of Zak Crawley when he removed the England opener for one when he shouldered arms to an in-swinger which blew off his front pad.
Ben Duckett posted his highest score of the series but sadly for him, that was just 42, when he chopped Michael Neser onto his stumps and when Joe Root lost a DRS decision to a Boland LBW on six, England’s afternoon prospects were teetering at 3-111.
That’s when Bethell stood tall, working the bowlers to the boundary without any extravagant Bazball buffoonery.
He hit seven fours in reaching his half-century from a steady 87 deliveries and collected six more at a slightly better strike rate to get to his century.
Two runs after registering a hundred stand with Bethell, Harry Brook continued his run of promising starts leading to nothing of substance when a Webster turner thudded into his pad when he was trying to cut against the spin.
In a series of lowlight dismissals, Jacks put in a late bid for dumbest shot when he tried to heave Webster into the stands after just one sighter and only succeeded in offering a catch to Boland in the deep.
Jacks had been promoted two spots to six due to Ben Stokes limping off during his morning bowling spell with a groin injury and whether he was told to up the ante or took it upon himself, it was a village hoick at a Test venue.
Smith and Bethell gathered 45 runs in chanceless fashion before the keeper was left stranded when the centurion knocked back his call for a single straight after a drinks break with Jake Weatherald’s measured throw finding him short of his ground on 26.
Stokes was a more dejected figure than usual after he nicked a cut from Webster to Smith’s safe hands at slip and the home skipper pouched another via Boland to send Carse on his way for 16 in the shadows of stumps.
After the Aussies resumed on 7-518, they added another 49 to post a 183-run lead, which looked like it could have been enough to ensure they didn’t have to bat again if England crumbled.
Smith added only nine to his overnight tally before he nicked off on 138 to Josh Tongue while Webster converted his 42 into the fifth half-century of his brief Test career.
Unfortunately for the Tasmanian ran out of partners on 71, one shy of his previous best, with Starc bowled by Tongue and Boland nicking off to Jacks first ball.
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