England hit the wall on day three at the Sydney Cricket Ground, or at least the latest in a series of walls, at the end of which Jacob Bethell admitted mental and physical fatigue was understandably, playing a part. There were dropped catches and some scattergun bowling lengths as Australia batted all day to reach 518 for seven, 134 runs ahead on first innings.
“This is proper Test cricket now in terms of the graft and the stuff that you have to put in,” Bethell said afterwards. “It was a tough day, but that’s what it’s about. We’ve got to come out tomorrow, take the three wickets early and get back in again.
“I think everyone’s all right, as good as you can be. Everyone’s still very driven to leave Australia 3-2. So I think that’s the main thing that’s keeping everyone fighting hard.”
Asked about the drops, and also the effects of playing five Tests in less than two months, Bethell was realistic about the freshness of England’s dressing room.
“All the guys that have played the four or five Test matches will definitely be tired mentally, physically, but that’s what comes with a five-match series. They’ll be tired, but those guys have done it before and they know how to deal with it.”
Bethell backed Will Jacks in particular to recover from a howler on the midwicket fence in the morning session. “I don’t think we’ve had to lift him up. He’s a very confident guy and yeah, everyone drops them. But he’s someone that’s going to just want to make an impact on the game in any way you can.
“I can’t see him dwelling on that too much and I thought he bowled very well after and I imagine that he’s going to bat very well in the second innings as well. I don’t think he’ll take it to heart.”
There was some slight consolation for Bethell himself as he took his first Ashes wicket, trapping Travis Head lbw for 163 when he tried to mow a sweep shot towards the harbour, although Bethell was clear there was no real plan at that stage to Head.
“I didn’t factor in bowling at him on 160, to be honest. I didn’t think he was going to sweep either. But yeah, just as straight as possible. He tried to sweep it and missed it. It’s as simple as that. It was nice to get the wicket and the breakthrough.”
Bethell also suggested spin may now begin to play a part at the SCG, even if neither team has actually picked a specialist for this match. “From straight there was a little bit of assistance, but definitely the wider you threw it out there, the more there was assistance, so that could bring Jacksy [Will Jacks] into the game for those right handers, especially in their second innings.”
