England batter Jacob Bethell is determined to deliver a strong performance in the fifth and final Ashes Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, starting January 4, 2026, to secure the number three position in the Test batting order. The 22-year-old left-hander, who made his Test debut against New Zealand in Christchurch in November 2024, has featured in five matches and 10 innings, accumulating 312 runs at an average of 34.66, including three half-centuries. At number three specifically, across four tests and seven innings, Bethell has scored 261 runs at an impressive average of 43.50, showcasing his adaptability to the top-order role early in his red-ball career.

Bethell earned his place in the Ashes XI for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground after mainstay Ollie Pope occupied the spot in the first three matches, during which England struggled. He played a pivotal role in England's thrilling four-wicket victory in Melbourne, scoring a crucial 40 in the fourth innings to help chase down the target against a fierce Australian attack. This performance marked his first appearance in the ongoing five-match Ashes series, which remains finely poised, and positions him as a frontrunner to retain the number three slot for the series decider in Sydney.

Reflecting on the position, Bethell expressed his preference for batting at three, noting the challenges and opportunities it presents with the new ball. "I like three. You come in when the ball is new, and in some scenarios the ball's going all over the shop, but in other scenarios it presents opportunities to score when bowlers are trying to take wickets and the field is attacking; there are loads of gaps," he said, as quoted by the ICC. He acknowledged more work is needed to claim it definitively, adding, "I've still got a lot more to do to call it my position. I would like to just nail down any role in the team. If you're in the XI and contributing to winning, I'm pretty happy with that."

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Bethell credited his composure under pressure in Melbourne, where crowds exceeded 90,000, to prior experience in the Indian Premier League with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. "It's knowing what I'm able to get out of myself when the situation is like that and when the atmosphere is like that. I definitely had a lot more confidence coming into this game after playing in front of, I don't know, 50,000—which felt like 100,000—in Bengaluru," he remarked. As England aims to clinch the Ashes with a win in Sydney, Bethell's emergence adds depth to their top order and highlights the success of their youth integration strategy in high-stakes series.

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