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[Watch] England's Jacob Bethell Heartbroken As Southee Denies His Maiden Century

Rajgeeta Yadav

Jacob Bethell missed his well deserved century [Source:@ImTanujSingh/X.com]Jacob Bethell missed his well deserved century [Source:@ImTanujSingh/X.com]

In the ongoing second Test between New Zealand and England at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, England’s young star, Jacob Bethell, almost made his mark with a stunning performance. Coming in after Zak Crawley was dismissed for just 8 runs, Bethell made sure to punish the Kiwi bowlers. He was in great form, playing stylish shots, and reached 96 runs—just four short of his maiden Test century.

It was a heartbreaking moment for the 23-year-old when, in the 38th over of England’s second innings, Tim Southee bowled a delivery that Bethell couldn’t resist. He went for it but ended up getting a faint edge, which was caught behind by Tom Blundell. 

Bethell walked off to a standing ovation from his teammates, having scored 96 off 118 balls. His innings included 10 sixes and 3 fours.This series marked Bethell's debut, and despite the near-century, he had already impressed everyone with his skill. In his debut Test match, he scored 50(37) and 10(34) runs.

New Zealand Struggle Against England

On Day two, New Zealand resumed their innings with Tom Blundell and William O'Rourke. Blundell started well but was dismissed by Carse for 16. O'Rourke was then trapped in front for a duck. Glenn Phillips and Nathan Smith tried to counter-attack, but Smith was dismissed for 14. Gus Atkinson took three quick wickets, including Matt Henry and Tim Southee on consecutive balls, becoming the first player to take a Test hat-trick at the Basin Reserve. 

New Zealand were bowled out for 125, giving England a big first-innings lead of 155 runs. Atkinson and Brydon Carse each took four wickets for England. England’s innings started aggressively, but Zak Crawley fell early, scoring just eight runs.