Jacob Bethell’s recall for the fourth Ashes Test became a turning point after the young left-hander delivered an spectacular 40 in the second innings as England sealed a four-wicket victory, ending an 18-match winless streak in Australia. Bethell replaced Ollie Pope for the Boxing Day Test, and he repaid the faith with the second-innings 40 to fire England to a decisive win. Bethell pointed to the Indian Premier League as a source to deal with high-pressure situations.
A seven-week immersion in the IPL earlier this year, where he played a couple of games for champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru, exposed him to match-defining moments.
“I was pretty nervous. Not so much with the people, just the occasion, I guess. But I’ve played over in India where it feels like there’s 160,000 people watching. This atmosphere was incredible and it was nice to get a win and contribute,” he was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
“The IPL, I only played two games but every game and every occasion… Definitely, just 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 – at the Chinnaswamy.”
The fifth and final Ashes Test will begin on January 4 at SCG, with Australia holding a 3-1 lead in the series. Meanwhile, England managed to avoid a series whitewash by securing a much-needed win in the fourth Test.