England may have secured a slim lead, but they remain in a precarious position at the end of Day Four of the Sydney Test.
Jacob Bethell was batting on 99 at one stage, standing on the brink of a maiden Test century. With history within touching distance, pressure was expected to weigh heavily on the young England batter. Instead, Bethell brushed it aside in style, stepping out of his crease and sending Beau Webster over wide long-on for a boundary to reach his hundred.
Despite Bethell’s superb century, England are still in trouble. They ended the fourth day on 302 for 8 in their second innings, holding a lead of just 119 runs with only two wickets remaining.
Australia resumed Wednesday on 518 for 7 and were eventually bowled out for 567 in their first innings. Steve Smith starred with a fine 138, striking one six and 16 fours, while Webster remained unbeaten on 71 with seven boundaries.
Bethell, who returned to the side in the Melbourne Test in place of Ollie Pope and played a role in that victory, had earlier expressed his desire to cement the No. 3 spot. He took a significant step toward that goal with a magnificent 142. Batting at No. 3, his unbeaten 232-ball knock was laced with 15 fours.
The left-hander made his Test debut in December last year. Against New Zealand in his first match, he offered a glimpse of his potential with an unbeaten 50. In the following Test, he narrowly missed a century, falling for 96.
This innings was the highest of Bethell’s career across his previous five Tests and 27 first-class matches. It also marked his maiden century in red-ball cricket.
The Sydney Cricket Ground was once regarded as Australia’s most spin-friendly venue, though those days are largely gone. Even so, Australia’s decision to play without a specialist spinner at the SCG for the first time in 138 years generated plenty of discussion.
As the pitch began to offer assistance to spin, however, Webster ensured Australia did not feel the absence. Primarily a pace-bowling all-rounder, he bowled spin in this match and played a decisive role in England’s second innings, taking three wickets for 51 runs in 13 overs.
Before shining with the ball, Webster also made a valuable contribution with the bat. Resuming the day on 42, he reached his fifty in just the third over of the morning, off 64 balls. In the same over, England captain Ben Stokes left the field due to a groin issue after bowling four deliveries.
Smith, who began the day on 129, did not last long. He was caught behind off Josh Tongue for 138, ending a 107-run partnership. Tongue then bowled Mitchell Starc, and in the following over, Scott Boland was caught at slip off Will Jacks to wrap up Australia’s innings.
Trailing by 183 runs, England suffered an immediate setback in their second innings as Starc struck in the very first over. Zak Crawley was trapped lbw after leaving the ball, and even a review could not save him.
That dismissal gave Starc his 27th wicket in the opening over of a Test innings, leaving him just two short of the record held by England great James Anderson.
Ben Duckett and Bethell responded with confident batting, gradually building a solid partnership. In the 16th over, Duckett was dropped on 38 by Cameron Green off Michael Neser. Diving to his right from gully, Green failed to hold on, a chance that should have been taken by Steve Smith at wide slip.
Duckett’s reprieve was short-lived. Soon after lunch, Neser bowled him for 42, which included six fours, ending an 81-run stand.
A few overs later, Bethell reached his half-century with a boundary off Starc, bringing it up from 87 balls. England then suffered another blow as first-innings centurion Joe Root departed after a long stay, scoring just six runs from 37 balls.
Bethell then shared a vital partnership with Harry Brook, guiding England safely through the remainder of the second session. In the third session, Bethell finally reached his long-awaited century, off 162 balls.
Webster broke the dangerous 102-run partnership by dismissing Brook lbw for 42, and followed it up by removing Will Jacks with the very next delivery.
Jamie Smith provided good support to Bethell, and the pair looked set to see out the day unbeaten. However, a mix-up resulted in Smith being run out for 26, ending their 45-run stand.
An injured Stokes came in at No. 8 but could not make an impact, edging Webster to slip. Brydon Carse, who scored 16 with three fours, was also caught at slip off Boland. Bethell and Potts then safely negotiated the final five overs to close out the day.
Brief Scores
- England 1st Innings: 384
- Australia 1st Innings: 567 in 133.5 overs
(Smith 138, Webster 71*; Carse 3/130, Tongue 3/97) - England 2nd Innings: 302/8 in 75 overs
(Bethell 142*, Duckett 42, Brook 42; Webster 3/51, Boland 2/34)
