Bethell looks to cement place as England number three

The 22-year-old faced a tough challenge in Melbourne on a difficult pitch

The Ashes - Australia v England - Fourth Test - Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia - Dec 27, 2025 England's Jacob Bethell in action REUTERS/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake

Jacob Bethell was not supposed to be England's headline act in the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground but he looked like a player who belonged when the tourists made their nervous chase for victory against Australia.

Replacing the dropped Ollie Pope at number three, 22-year-old Bethell had appeared on a hiding to nothing in Melbourne on a difficult pitch in front of a record crowd of 94,000.

His debut Ashes innings on Boxing Day, the biggest occasion in Australia's cricket calendar, was no fairytale, producing one run from five balls and a caught-behind dismissal off Australia's fifth-choice seamer Michael Neser.