How did England get here?
A 22-year-old without a first-class hundred to his name, batting first drop in the most anticipated Ashes series for a long time.
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That was the dramatic angle some took when wunderkind Jacob Bethell was listed at No.3 for the Poms in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne last week.
In reality, that reaction says far less about Bethell himself, and more about how uncomfortable England has become with the number three position in Test cricket.
The left-handed all-rounder has the early makings of a generational star. He’s an aggressive batter with a gorgeous technique, can bowl handy overs with the ball as a second spinner, and is arguably as good as anyone in the England side with his field.
A swashbuckling 40 batting at number four — after the shock promotion of Brydon Carse for the second innings — gave fans a glimpse of what’s to come for the next 15 years at Test level.
But, are England really going to pigeon-hole him into the No.3 position after just five Test matches?
It’s a position that has been the kryptonite of the country for countless years. Only Jonathan Trott and Gary Ballance have managed to average 45 or more in the role as specialist number three’s in the last 20 years; the former’s career ending in brutal fashion on Australian shores a dozen years ago during the Ashes.
Joe Root averaged a touch under that threshold in the slot, though has only batted there once since March of 2022.
Ironically, that one instance saw the former England captain hit his highest ever Test score of 262 on an incomprehensibly flat pitch in Pakistan which saw the Poms pile on 7/823 declared. He hasn’t batted three for his country since the country’s 86-year best in Multan.
The historical numbers explain why England’s caution at first drop has long bordered on anxiety.
By comparison with Australia, their broader lack of success at number three is stark. In the last 20 years, England’s five best mainstays in the position have combined for 26 hundreds, 14 less than Australia.
TOP AVERAGES BATTING AT NUMBER THREE FOR ENGLAND (MIN. 25 INNINGS SINCE 2006)
GARRY BALLANCE — 1254 runs at 46.44 (29 innings)
JONATHAN TROTT — 3109 runs at 45.72 (73 innings)
JOE ROOT — 2484 runs at 43.57 (60 innings)
OLLIE POPE — 2455 runs at 39.59 (63 innings)
IAN BELL — 1550 runs at 36.90 (44 innings)
TOP AVERAGES BATTING AT NUMBER THREE FOR AUSTRALIA (MIN. 25 INNINGS SINCE 2006)
STEVE SMITH — 1761 runs at 65.22 (30 innings)
RICKY PONTING — 4360 runs at 48.98 (95 innings)
MARNUS LABUSCHAGNE — 4113 runs at 47.82 (95 innings)
SHANE WATSON — 987 runs at 37.96 (27 innings)
USMAN KHAWAJA — 2343 runs at 37.19 (66 innings)
The Aussies have been blessed with the likes of Ricky Ponting and Steve Smith, with the latter only batting in the role between 2015-17 before moving down to number four. It’s also worth noting that Ponting’s average at three across his entire career is 56.27, much higher than his mean from 2006 onwards.
Heck, even the long-term success of Marnus Labuschagne in the role deserves a huge green tick despite his current form woes. His average of 47.82 across the last half a dozen years at three is still better than any Englishman across the last two decades.
It’s important to note that the output of Australia’s opening batters during this time frame has been significantly better, which obviously has left their first drop batters less exposed to the new ball. Eight recognised openers (15 innings or more) have averaged 40 or more for the Aussies across the last two decades, yet only Sir Alastair Cook and Ben Duckett meet that threshold for the Poms.
More to the point, Australia has had three very successful players fill a void across various stages in a role that is notoriously difficult, and two for a notable period of time since 2006. England has had three with notable output in the same spot, though Ballance’s fixed role at three only lasted 13 months between 2014 and 2015, before being dropped after a lean run.
No one has batted at number three for England in Test match cricket more than Ollie Pope since Ballance’s dropping over a decade ago. In 63 innings, Pope’s career return there dipped below 40 in this Ashes series, which saw him dropped for the Boxing Day Test in favour of Bethell.
The Warwickshire product has been listed at first drop in four of his five Test matches, with a role at number six the outlier in England’s fifth Test against India last year.
Three half-centuries in his debut Test series in New Zealand caught the attention of fans immediately, having ended up in the role almost by accident after Pope was essentially forced to drop down the order after wicketkeepers Jamie Smith (paternity leave) and Jordan Cox (broken finger) were unavailable on tour.
His top score of 96 last summer against the Kiwis to this day remains his highest first-class score, having only played one Test and one first-class game for the Bears since that tour, frustratingly due to IPL commitments that couldn’t be worked around.
So, where does that leave England now? Because the decision to hand Bethell the keys at number three, even temporarily, is not one you can walk back easily without consequence. For a player still learning his craft at the highest level, that responsibility can either accelerate development or leave permanent scars.
History suggests the latter is far more common at number three.
From what we’ve seen during the infancy of his professional career, Bethell’s skillset, as thrilling as it is, does not conventionally align with what the number three role has historically demanded across Test cricket’s history. Asking him to blunt the new ball and shield England’s middle order may ultimately dilute the very qualities that make him special; particularly in the ‘Bazball’ era.
Ollie Pope is also the unavoidable subtext. As noted earlier, England’s most persistent solution at first drop for over a decade has quietly slipped from the title of trusted incumbent. He was never truly dominant enough there across 36 Tests to the extent the role was his; an uncomfortable middle ground England have occupied for years.
As a result, Bethell’s baptism of fire feels less like a reward for exceptional red-ball output, and more like a verdict on England’s waning faith in the status quo. Of course, his promotion is partly about boldly backing youth, but it must be said it is mostly a reflection of an England side still searching for certainty in Test cricket’s most unforgiving position.
Root, much like Steve Smith for Australia, has an unspoken licence to bat wherever he pleases. There is logic in moving him to three for the twilight stages of his career, which would allow Harry Brook to assume further responsibility at four — a separate discussion in itself.
The difference in who bats at five and six between Ben Stokes and Bethell is, on face value, minimal, though allowing the young gun to slide in below his captain makes more sense.
However, it seems unlikely that Root will shuffle up one, meaning if Bethell is to stay in England’s Test XI for their upcoming home summer, it will highly likely need to be at first drop — so set in stone are Root, Brook and Stokes in the side.
The young gun will be rightly tried again in the role for the New Year’s Test in Sydney, given the Ashes series finale is a dead rubber. Long-term, though, this selection feels less like a calculated investment, and more like a reflection of England’s failure to solve a 20-year-old number three puzzle.
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