Australia stayed on top at the SCG, but Jacob Bethell’s magnificent unbeaten 142 kept England alive and ensured the Ashes finale will go into a fifth day. Australia’s first innings 567, built around Travis Head’s 163, Steve Smith’s 138, and Beau Webster’s 71*, gave them a hefty 183‑run lead, before England closed day four on 302/8, leading by 119 with Bethell still there and only the tail for company.
Morning: Australia to 567, England Rocked Early
Australia resumed on 518/7 and added 49 more runs, with Smith moving from 129 overnight to 138 off 220 balls (16 fours, 1 six) before edging Josh Tongue to keeper Jamie Smith. Tongue then bowled Mitchell Starc for 5, and Will Jacks removed Scott Boland for a duck, leaving Webster unbeaten on 71 off 87 balls (7 fours) and Australia all out for 567, a lead of 183 over England’s 384.
England’s reply began badly as Zak Crawley offered no shot to a Mitchell Starc inswinger and was lbw for 0 in the first over, continuing a series in which England’s opening stand averaged just 22 balls per dismissal. Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell counterattacked, taking England to 80/1 at lunch; Duckett was 40* off 48 and Bethell 28* off 52, with England still 103 runs behind.
Afternoon: Duckett Falls, Bethell And Brook Counter
Soon after lunch, Duckett got chopped on for 42 off 55, ending an Ashes campaign of 202 runs at 20.20 with no fifty-plus scores. Joe Root joined Bethell but never settled; Scott Boland, relentlessly accurate, trapped him lbw for 6 runs, even as Root crossed 400 runs for the series earlier in the innings.
Bethell, composed and busy, reached his maiden Ashes fifty and steered England past 100 in the 26th over, while Harry Brook came in and batted with typical aggression. Brook and Bethell added a positive century stand, bringing the deficit down to single figures by tea, with a five‑run penalty added when the ball hit Alex Carey’s helmet; England went to the break just 9 behind at 219/3.
Evening: Bethell’s Maiden Ton, Webster’s Double Strike, Late Collapse
After tea, Bethell and Brook took England into the lead in the 42nd over and to 200 in the 45th, scoring more freely as Australia briefly lost control. Bethell then completed a landmark maiden Test and first‑class century off 162–170 balls (various reports), becoming a 22‑year‑old Ashes centurion at the SCG and walking off to a standing ovation at stumps on 142* (off about 229 balls)
Momentum shifted again when Steve Smith turned to Beau Webster’s offspin. Webster removed Brook lbw for 42 off 48 and then Will Jacks for a duck in the same over, a double strike that reduced England from a strong position at 219/3 to 219/5. Jamie Smith rebuilt with Bethell in a fifty stand but was run out for 26 off 41 after a mix‑up, and an injured Ben Stokes, struggling with a right adductor/groin strain, edged Webster to slip for 1.
Brydon Carse added a few boundaries but edged Boland to slip late, leaving England 302/8 at stumps, ahead by 119 with Bethell unbeaten and farming the strike alongside Matthew Potts.
Australia, already 3–1 up in the series, remain favourites needing just two wickets and a modest chase on day five, but Bethell’s heroic 142* has at least given England a faint hope of stretching the target towards 200.
Summary of 5th Ashes Day 4
| Team | Innings | Score | Top Scorers | Key Bowling | Lead/Trail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 1st | 567 all out (126.3 ov) | Head 163, Smith 138 (220b), Webster 71* (87b) | Tongue 3 wkts (Smith, Starc 5, Boland 0) | Led by 183 |
| England | 2nd (Stumps) | 302/8 (80 ov) | Bethell 142*, Duckett 42 (55b), Brook 42 (48b) | Webster 3 (Brook, Jacks 0, Stokes 1), Boland 2 (Root 6, Carse) | Lead by 119 |
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