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Could brilliant Bethell give England Ashes conundrum?cartela de bingo horizontalTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedMedia caption, Bethell and Archer star as England beat South Africa by record ODI marginByMatthew HenryBBC Sport journalist in SouthamptonPublished7 September 2025388 CommentsJacob Bethell can now add another bullet point to the notebook he uses to scribble down reminders before going out to bat.He has always written notes about the bowlers he has faced - and previously taken tips from the great West Indies all-rounder Sir Garfield Sobers, who is a family friend back home in Barbados.Now, after the 110 in the third one-day international against South Africa, he can store another in the memory bank; what it feels like to score your first professional century."I wouldn't say relief," the 21-year-old told BBC Sport. "It was nothing to do with other people - I wanted it for myself and the team."It was a great feeling, and quite an addictive feeling, so hopefully there's a few more of them to come."To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedMedia caption, 'As straight as straight can be' - Bethell hits Brevis down the ground for sixEver since he was picked, based on his undeniable talent, for a T20 against Australia almost a year ago, Bethell has been living out one of the stranger international careers.An all-format batter, one tipped for the very top, but without a professional century to his name. Not in Tests or T20s. Not for England, Warwickshire or Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Not for anyone.This was, of course, not the first statement innings.There was the 50 not out on his Test debut against New Zealand last year, 96 a week later in Wellington, and 82 from just 53 balls against West Indies at Edgbaston in May.But what would the Australian public have said had England touched down in Perth for the first Ashes Test in November with a batter yet to make a professional ton?That has now been put to bed.'This is just the beginning'For much of this summer, Bethell and Chloe Kelly were England's most talked about substitutes.Staying at the Indian Premier League meant he gave up a Test place that may never have been his, and he barely played afterwards.Bethell was scratchy when he did return against India at The Oval but his flowing hands were back on show here. He flashed pulls from in front of his face and eased the ball straight with a flourish.On his return to the dressing room, captain Harry Brook told Bethell "this is just the beginning of your career".Brook was similarly highly rated as a youth international and when he scored his first international century in his 22nd match against Pakistan in 2022, his second and third immediately followed."He's just a phenomenal player, everyone knows how good he is, and I'm glad he's got that first century out of the way and hopefully now the floodgates open," said England's white-ball captain.That England kept Bethell with them throughout the summer, rather than releasing him to Warwickshire after they opted to retain vice-captain Ollie Pope, was a mistake but also in many ways a compliment.England keep the players they rate highest close. It is those with something to prove that get sent away.When Bethell was struggling to regain form during The Hundred, some thought it wiser to give the 21-year-old a month in the County Championship to learn the rhythm of red-ball batting before heading down under. Not England.They picked him to play against South Africa and doubled down by naming him the youngest man to captain for this month's tour of Ireland."We have identified him as someone who is going to be a really strong player and leader for us in the future," coach Brendon McCullum told Sky Sports."He is incredibly well planned and prepared - as much as he is a flair player, he has got a very calm head on his shoulders and he's obviously an incredible talent."The Ashes? What next for Bethell?The question now is what England will do next with their "incredible talent".First he will play South Africa and Ireland in T20s and then New Zealand across six white-ball matches before heading to Australia.Bethell scored a century in an under-19 Test in Brisbane in 2023, averages 75 against deliveries registered as back-of-a-length (the Australian staple) across his full international career and scores freely behind square against the quicks, seemingly making him ideal for batting down under.Such a style helped Yashasvi Jaiswal score 161 in his first Test in Australia last winter. The frequency Bethell is attacking spin is also only matched by Travis Head - and England need no reminding how the Australian left-hander goes on the pitches they will face.Despite his inconsistencies, England are loyal to Pope, and Bethell himself seems to have accepted his fate."I don't know if these runs mean anything, but I don't think they can hurt," he admitted. "If the opportunity arises, I'll hopefully be there to take it."There are doubters too - those yet to be convinced he is unequivocally the future of the team."He hasn't played enough for me to see in both first-class and Test cricket to say 100% he is going to be the next red-ball cricketer," said former England captain Alastair Cook."I don't think he knows how to play red-ball cricket as well as he knows how to play white-ball cricket."Ex-England spinner Vic Marks added: "The technique is there but what you want, to have for more confidence in him, is to witness him batting for four or five hours, which you need to do in Test cricket to have a really big impact on a game."We sort of assume he can but it would be reassuring for him to have the opportunity to bat for a day, or even two sessions."England dropped Graham Thorpe for Kevin Pietersen for a highly anticipated Ashes series in 2005, but a repeat still appears far off. More runs for Bethell will certainly mean more note-making and just maybe a decision made that bit harder...Related topicsEngland Men's Cricket TeamWarwickshireCricketMore on this storyBethell says he should have 'played more' in 2025Published7 SeptemberBethell's first ton sets up record England win over SAPublished7 SeptemberComments can not be loadedTo load Comments you need to enable JavaScript in your browserCommentsJoin the conversationThese comments are now closed.388 commentsShowLatestOldestHighest RatedMost RepliedJComment by jibble at 22:21 7 Sepjibble22:21 7 SepThe BBC literally 2 days ago: "the media need to leave Bethell alone and let him develop". The BBC today: "get this lad on the plane"Reply2876Show comment linksBComment by Bergkampfan13 at 22:37 7 SepBergkampfan1322:37 7 Septo jibble"The BBC literally 2 days ago: "the media need to leave Bethell alone and let him develop". The BBC today: "get this lad on the plane""Yep typical British media. Build him up way too early and wait to knock him down first chance they getReply1027Show comment linksMore replies (24)KComment by Kings Cross Bear at 21:58 7 SepKings Cross Bear21:58 7 SepWhy does every young player who manages a good knock, even if it's in an ODI, become an automatic selection for the Ashes?The lad hasn't yet scored a red ball ton.Reply13616Show comment linksLComment by Lynchie at 22:55 7 SepLynchie22:55 7 Septo Kings Cross Bear"Why does every young player who manages a good knock, even if it's in an ODI, become an automatic selection for the Ashes? The lad hasn't yet scored a red ball ton."This is nothing more than click bait by the BBC - lazy journalism by a lazy journalistReply7514Show comment linksMore replies (7)JComment by joshuaalex at 21:51 7 Sepjoshuaalex21:51 7 SepClassic journalism by the BBC just let the young lad play without putting so much pressure on him!Reply12611Show comment linksTComment by Tony at 22:09 7 SepTony22:09 7 Septo joshuaalex"Classic journalism by the BBC just let the young lad play without putting so much pressure on him!"the pressure doesn't come from the BBC but from selectors who play him in a test match despite no red ball cricket and very little form.Reply844Show comment linksMore replies (7)FComment by footyfan94 at 22:42 7 Sepfootyfan9422:42 7 SepMaybe if Stokes and McCullum allowed him to play first class cricket instead of making him sit on the side lines for no reason. At such a young age it is imperative he is playing. So if you are not planning on playing him, return him to his county, and keep someone on the side lines who does not need the time to hone their skills.Reply1165Show comment linksPComment by Peter at 23:51 7 SepPeter23:51 7 Septo footyfan94"Maybe if Stokes and McCullum allowed him to play first class cricket instead of making him sit on the side lines for no reason. At such a young age it is imperative he is playing. So if you are not planning on playing him, return him to his county, and keep someone on the side lines who does not need the time to hone their skills."It’s good for him to be around the team and learn from the likes of root and stokes what it takes to be world class. There does need to be more of a balance though, sone time with the squad and sometime playing county games. I hope he doesn’t just carry the drinks all winter. They should find a way to give him some game time whilst he’s in Australia.Reply287Show comment linksMore replies (11)AComment by alexjsh50 at 22:31 7 Sepalexjsh5022:31 7 SepCracking knock but a good stand alone ton in an ODI doesn’t exactly mean you’re qualified to middle order in the ashes down under.Reply864Show comment linksNComment by Nick at 07:00 8 SepNick07:00 8 Septo alexjsh50"Cracking knock but a good stand alone ton in an ODI doesn’t exactly mean you’re qualified to middle order in the ashes down under."Bit worrying where one good knock gets you in the Ashes team and suddenly become the answer to everything Aggers was advocating everyone leave Bethell alone a couple of days ago and now his colleague is writing this. Confused editorial directionReply403Show comment linksMore replies (7)MComment by mp at 22:51 7 Sepmp22:51 7 Sep5 days ago he was part of the problem, now he is the messiah, completely ridiculousReply714Show comment linksCComment by Chris at 00:21 8 SepChris00:21 8 Septo mp"5 days ago he was part of the problem, now he is the messiah, completely ridiculous"That just about sums the British press up perfectly!Reply303Show comment linksMore replies (1)RComment by richard at 22:46 7 Seprichard22:46 7 SepThe only question to ask is who is most likely to be able to perform on Australian pitches against Australian bowlers.Reply570Show comment linksMComment by MM2 at 07:13 8 SepMM207:13 8 Septo richard"The only question to ask is who is most likely to be able to perform on Australian pitches against Australian bowlers."Correct. And given that class is permanent while form is temporary, the young man I'm sure will play his first Ashes test this winter.Reply74Show comment linksMComment by MagpieRH at 23:02 7 SepMagpieRH23:02 7 SepA single hundred, in an ODI, against a weakened side in a dead rubber, having been dropped at least once. Suddenly makes him Test material for arguably the toughest series most English players will play in?As Aggers said, give him time to learn the game. He's not suddenly our saviour, moreso in a totally different format.Reply556Show comment linksEComment by EmWan at 23:52 7 SepEmWan23:52 7 Septo MagpieRH"A single hundred, in an ODI, against a weakened side in a dead rubber, having been dropped at least once. Suddenly makes him Test material for arguably the toughest series most English players will play in? As Aggers said, give him time to learn the game. He's not suddenly our saviour, moreso in a totally different format."When Crawley scored his BIG 100 he was dropped twice before he got to 50. His last innings wasn't exactly bad either!Reply80Show comment linksMore replies (1)IComment by imp64 at 22:33 7 Sepimp6422:33 7 SepNo way SA capitulate like that if series on the line. England need to be this good when it matters.Reply5710Show comment linksJComment by Jamie at 22:46 7 SepJamie22:46 7 Septo imp64"No way SA capitulate like that if series on the line. England need to be this good when it matters."I disagree.It always matters.They are international matches.Reply3121Show comment linksMore replies (16)JComment by James at 22:22 7 SepJames22:22 7 SepTest Cricket and ODIs are 2 completely different things, I loathe articles like thisReply516Show comment linksIComment by Ian_the_unready at 00:13 8 SepIan_the_unready00:13 8 Septo James"Test Cricket and ODIs are 2 completely different things, I loathe articles like this"Agreed, was also against a 2nd string South African attack missing Rabada, Nortje, Ngidi and Jansen, feels like these are just hype articles rather than any real analysisReply363Show comment linksMore replies (1)JComment by JulianFootprint at 23:06 7 SepJulianFootprint23:06 7 SepWhen an article's headline asks a question, the answer is invariably no...One ODI tonne and Bethel is suddenly Hammond, Dexter and Gower combined, ready to vanquish everything the Aussies can throw at him.Stop just swallowing what the England PRs feed you!Good luck to the kid, but for the sake of all that's holy, stop with this continuous speculative tripe and give him a chance to develop!Reply393Show comment linksJComment by Jake at 23:11 7 SepJake23:11 7 Septo JulianFootprint"When an article's headline asks a question, the answer is invariably no... One ODI tonne and Bethel is suddenly Hammond, Dexter and Gower combined, ready to vanquish everything the Aussies can throw at him. Stop just swallowing what the England PRs feed you! Good luck to the kid, but for the sake of all that's holy, stop with this continuous speculative tripe and give him a chance to develop!"English media love to overhype talented young athletes and then rip them to shreds the second they don’t perform to their over-inflated imaginary standard - just let the kid develop!Reply114Show comment linksMore replies (3)JComment by John at 22:40 7 SepJohn22:40 7 SepI saw Bethell hit 80 odd in a T20 at Wantage Road last year and was amazed by how hard he hit the ball and thought at the time this guy looks like one to watch. He could have a great futureReply352Show comment linksMComment by Markthehorn at 22:39 7 SepMarkthehorn22:39 7 SepHe is an excellent young player with great talent but does need to be managed well .Reply260Show comment linksCComment by Chinese out of Tibet now at 06:05 8 SepChinese out of Tibet now06:05 8 Sep2 21 year olds: Bethell one century, James Rew 11 centuries, best record since Denis Compton.Reply261Show comment linksDComment by dave61 at 09:22 8 Sepdave6109:22 8 Septo Chinese out of Tibet now"2 21 year olds: Bethell one century, James Rew 11 centuries, best record since Denis Compton."Rew is miles better.Reply63Show comment linksMore replies (3)OComment by Oscar at 22:57 7 SepOscar 22:57 7 SepSaw this article coming from a mile away. Literally 2 days ago the BBC were telling everyone to back off and let him play, now they jump right on the bandwagon. Typical. Jacob has that kind of natural talent which you can't coach. The best thing to do is let him develop at his own pace. He needs to learn to understand the game.Reply201Show comment linksWComment by WG at 06:30 8 SepWG06:30 8 Septo Oscar "Saw this article coming from a mile away. Literally 2 days ago the BBC were telling everyone to back off and let him play, now they jump right on the bandwagon. Typical. Jacob has that kind of natural talent which you can't coach. The best thing to do is let him develop at his own pace. He needs to learn to understand the game."The problem with “natural talent that you can’t coach” is you end up with players who make a lot of brilliant 20s and 30s. Aka T20 players. Of course you can and must coach players in the discipline needed to push on to make big scores. I think he’s a very promising prospect. But we’ve had a lot of those who haven’t developed.Reply32Show comment linksMore replies (1)MComment by mb018538 at 22:19 7 Sepmb01853822:19 7 SepHe shouldn’t be anywhere near the ashes side with a first class average of 27. If you want to go with a youngster, at least pick someone like James Rew who averages 42 over 50+ first class matches.Reply3314Show comment linksGComment by Gedders at 22:25 7 SepGedders22:25 7 Septo mb018538"He shouldn’t be anywhere near the ashes side with a first class average of 27. If you want to go with a youngster, at least pick someone like James Rew who averages 42 over 50+ first class matches."Agree. Am I missing something? He scores a hundred in a dead game and he gets elevated like this? The bloke is being put under undue pressure for no apparent reason. He is not ready..Reply225Show comment linksMore replies (3)TComment by Trentatre at 22:24 7 SepTrentatre22:24 7 SepA bit silly to make a big deal of a single ODI game, overstretching to give it Ashes test series relevance.He's clearly a very good cricketer, quite likely to become a test regular, but time will tell.Reply150Show comment linksSComment by Steve Pearce at 09:17 8 SepSteve Pearce09:17 8 Septo Trentatre"A bit silly to make a big deal of a single ODI game, overstretching to give it Ashes test series relevance. He's clearly a very good cricketer, quite likely to become a test regular, but time will tell."Yes I agree, a million runs in a dead rubber - great. But perhaps not putting all the pressure on by extolling every player as the second coming would help...Reply30Show comment linksMore replies (1)MComment by mikemikescott at 22:25 7 Sepmikemikescott22:25 7 Sepyes no one mentioned that very recent 96 and 80-odd when saying he hadn't yet scored a professional hundredReply185Show comment linksDComment by D1757364059414 at 22:40 7 SepD175736405941422:40 7 Septo mikemikescott"yes no one mentioned that very recent 96 and 80-odd when saying he hadn't yet scored a professional hundred"I hate to break it to you but 96 or an 80-odd are not hundreds. Do you need to have some remedial math lessons?Reply1938Show comment linksMore replies (4)AComment by aball at 23:19 7 Sepaball23:19 7 SepIt used to be that you had to score centuries to earn a place in the Test team. But under Rob Key it is now not the case. You are picked if they think you are good enough and you don't have to have done anything to prove it. Farcical selections policy that Key has introduced and reigns overReply155Show comment linksRComment by Radstock Ronnie at 22:10 7 SepRadstock Ronnie22:10 7 SepWhat a click bait headline!!! PatheticReply112Show comment linksTComment by The Duck of Devonshire at 08:52 8 SepThe Duck of Devonshire08:52 8 Septo Radstock Ronnie"What a click bait headline!!! Pathetic"But we’ve all taken the bait!Reply20Show comment linksMore commentsBack to toploading comments module
