Jacob Bethell said he wants to remain England’s number three but admitted he has “a lot more to do” to make the position his own.
The 22-year-old was recalled for the fourth Ashes Test and made a crucial 40 in the second innings as England won by four wickets to end an 18-match winless streak in Australia.
Bethell had never batted higher than number four in first-class cricket until he had three Tests for England at number three in New Zealand last year.
The left-hander played only three first-class matches in 2025 before replacing Ollie Pope for the Boxing Day Test.
His impressive 40 actually came at number four after England promoted Brydon Carse as a pinch-hitter in the second-innings run chase of 175. Now Bethell will get the opportunity to stake a claim for a long run in the team in the final Ashes Test in Sydney.
“I like three,” he said. “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’s loads of gaps.
“I’ve still got a lot more to do to call it my position.”
Bethell’s selection in Melbourne was the culmination of year-long speculation over Pope’s position at number three.
After impressing with three half-centuries in New Zealand last December, Bethell’s international progress was hampered by an injury, a stint at the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Pope’s good form at the start of the home summer.
The Warwickshire man made his first professional century in a one-day international against South Africa in September. Following the Ashes, he will be part of England’s white-ball plans in the new year then will return to the IPL with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
It could mean Bethell’s next first-class cricket following the tour of Australia is England’s first Test of the home summer against New Zealand in June.
“I’m not thinking too far ahead yet,” said Bethell. “Hopefully next week in Sydney and then we’ve got a lot of cricket to play before next summer.”
Asked about securing the number three spot, he said: “I would like to. 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.”
Curiously, Bethell’s impressive performances in his short Test career have all come in the second innings of his five matches. He averages almost 67 in the second innings of Tests, compared to nine in the first innings.
Former England opener Alastair Cook said Bethell needs sustained exposure to red-ball cricket if he is to succeed at Test level.
“It’s about adjusting your game to the situation,” said Cook. “Jacob needs a run in red-ball cricket to learn. He has a lot of talent but he needs to be exposed to red-ball cricket.
“That’s the only caveat to England putting him into that red-ball side. He needs to play some red-ball cricket as well all the white-ball stuff. He needs to find time for it.”
But Bethell also pointed to his time at the IPL as useful experience for playing in a Boxing Day Test in front of crowds in excess of 90,000.
Bethell was a team-mate of India great Virat Kohli for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who won the IPL for the first time in 2025.
“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,” said Bethell.
“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.”
