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Jacob Bethell breaks massive record at the SCG! Becomes the 2nd youngest since 2006 to..

Soumyajit Dutta

Jacob Bethell breaks massive record in The Ashes [Source: @shopin_yuru/X]Jacob Bethell breaks massive record in The Ashes [Source: @shopin_yuru/X]

Jacob Bethell announced his arrival on the Ashes stage with a maiden Test century and a maiden Ashes ton in England's final innings of the 2025-26 tour at Sydney Cricket Ground. The 22-year-old left-hander, promoted to No. 3, reached the milestone in 162 balls, overcoming his previous best of 96.

At 22 years and 78 days, Bethell became the second youngest batter this century to score an Ashes hundred, trailing only a former England captain, Alastair Cook, who achieved the feat in 2006.

Jacob Bethell proves to be the solution for Ollie Pope woes

Drafted for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne after Ollie Pope's struggles, Bethell contributed scores of 1 and 40 to a historic chase of 175. That victory ended England's 14-year wait for a win on Australian soil, snapping an 18-match winless streak.

The Sydney century was Bethell's fifth Test innings at number three, making him the first England player in that position to score an Ashes hundred since Jonathan Trott 14 years ago. Since 2001, only Michael Vaughan and Mark Butcher have recorded similar centuries from number three in the Ashes.

How Bethell anchored England's innings

Though Jacob Bethell scored only 10 runs in England’s first innings, he anchored the side in the second innings as England moved towards wiping out the deficit against Australia. Bethell walked in after Zak Crawley’s dismissal and went on to build crucial partnerships from there. 

Jacob Bethell added 81 runs with Ben Duckett and then stitched together a 102-run stand with Harry Brook, steadily progressing towards a well-earned century that included 13 boundaries. Bethell showed grit and patience with the bat and was still at the crease at the time of writing.

While Joe Root struggled and was dismissed for six, Jamie Smith was batting alongside Bethell as England looked to set Australia a challenging target on the final day of the Ashes 2025–26 tour.

Interestingly, Jacob Bethell has not been given many opportunities in Test cricket. He made his debut in November 2024 and has since played only six matches, scoring one century and averaging 42.8, with notable scores of 76, 96, 40, and 50.