England's Jacob Bethell Shines as Ashes Test Intensifies in Sydney
Day 4 Highlights of the Fifth Ashes Test
On January 7, in Sydney, England's Jacob Bethell delivered a stellar performance, scoring an unbeaten half-century that brought the team closer to overcoming Australia's 183-run lead in the fifth and final Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
By the time Tea was called on Day 4, England had reached 179/3 in 41 overs, trailing by just nine runs. Bethell was at 79 runs off 132 balls, hitting 10 fours, while Harry Brook contributed 24 runs off 22 balls with three boundaries.
The second session commenced with Australian bowler Michael Neser taking out opener Ben Duckett on the very first ball of the 20th over. Duckett scored 42 runs from 55 balls, including six fours, and his dismissal ended an 81-run partnership for the second wicket.
Duckett's performance in the Ashes 2025-26 series concluded with 202 runs across 10 innings, averaging 20.02 with a strike rate of 91.4. He became the 11th player to bat in the top three positions in a Test series without achieving a single score over 50.
Before Duckett, Phil Simmons was the last player to achieve this in 1991. Duckett joins the ranks of Cyril Washbrook, John Edrich, and Kim Hughes as the fourth player in Ashes history to do so.
England's score reached 106/2 in 27 overs, with Bethell and Joe Root playing cautiously. Bethell reached his half-century in the 28th over, while Root surpassed 400 runs in the series during the same over.
Scott Boland then trapped Root LBW on the last ball of the 32nd over, dismissing him for just six runs off 37 balls, leaving England at 117/3.
Root's Ashes series concluded with 400 runs in 10 innings at an average of 44.44, including two centuries in Brisbane and Sydney. Following Root's exit, Bethell and Brook formed an unbeaten partnership of 50 runs for the fourth wicket, with England scoring 99 runs and losing two wickets in the second session.
Earlier in the day, Australia resumed at 518/7 in 124 overs, leading by 134 runs after England's first innings of 384. The hosts added 49 runs to their overnight total, finishing their first innings at 567 runs. Captain Steve Smith scored 138 runs off 220 balls, while Beau Webster contributed 71 runs off 87 balls, and Travis Head was the top scorer with 163 runs off 166 balls.
England's second innings began poorly, with opener Zak Crawley dismissed for just one run by Mitchell Starc in the first over. However, Duckett and Bethell stabilized the innings, reaching Lunch at 80/1.
In their first innings, England was bowled out for 384 runs in 97.3 overs after choosing to bat first. The opening pair of Crawley and Duckett managed a 35-run partnership, while Bethell scored 10 runs. Harry Brook and Joe Root's impressive partnership of 169 runs for the fourth wicket was a highlight, with Root scoring 160 runs off 242 balls and Brook adding 84 runs.
Root also formed a 94-run partnership with wicketkeeper Jamie Smith, who scored 46 runs. For Australia, Mitchell Starc, Michael Neser, and Scott Boland were the key wicket-takers.
Brief Scores: England: 384, 179/3 (Joe Root 160, Harry Brook 84, Michael Neser 4/60, Scott Boland 2/75) vs Australia: 567 (Travis Head 165, Steve Smith 136, Josh Tongue 3/97, Brydon Carse 3/130).