The Ashes: Hits & Misses as Australia edge closer to victory in Sydney despite Jacob Bethell ton

England are clinging on in Sydney after a magnificent maiden 100 from Jacob Bethell as we look at the hits and miss from day four. HITS Normal service resumes for Starc Mitchell Starc has put in a mountain of work this series in the absence of the rest of Australia’s first-choice bowling attack. When the series was there to be won, Starc spearheaded Australia’s charge, and though he has tapered off towards the close, he still found another first-over wicket. It’s his fourth of the series and brought him equal with Sir Richard Hadlee on 431 Test wickets. He has tormented England’s opening pair, with their longest opening partnership being 7.4 overs, achieved in Brisbane and Adelaide, as he continued. Bethell bright spots It’s been another tough old tour for England, but they will not leave Australian shores empty-handed. After their drought-breaking win in Melbourne, they have no uneartherd a player in Jacob Bethell. He has looked night and day at No.3 compared to Ollie Pope and has transformed the look of England’s top order. He has an anomalous stat of averaging less than 10 in the first innings compared to more than 80 in the second digs but for someone without a first-class 100 to his name, it was a chanceless knock. Much like Ben Stokes’ performance at the end of the 2013-14 series, England could have well found an all-rounder who can be a long part of their future. Slug turns the match Australia, and England for that matter, should have played a specialist spinner in Sydney, but in their absence, the part-timers have had to fill in. With the tourists threatening to take the game away Beau Webster had two wickets in an over to completely change the feel of the match. While Will Jacks was a freebie it was a genuinely good ball to remove Harry Brook has he found some big turn to trap the vice-captain playing off the backfoot thanks to a smart rview from Steve Smith. Add to that his unbeaten 71 with the bat and it’s hard to see how he could of done anymore to keep his spot in the side. MISSES Stokes left broken The England captain has been the standard-bearer for his team throughout this series, often standing up with the bat or ball, given the lack of support from his teammates. This has only been exacerbated with the loss of Mark Wood, Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson due to injury, leaving Stokes as his side’s best bowler. As a result, the allrounder has bowled more than 100 overs this series and coupled with the weight of captaincy, this Ashes finally broke Stokes as he hobbled off on day four after bowling two overs. It was another groin injury that has plagued him in recent years and could be an ill-fitting end to his series. Can’t bat, can’t bowl, can’t field It was the famous phrase to describe England’s horror 1986 tour before Shane Warne co-opted it somewhat to take down teammate Scott Muller just over a decade later. But it could just as easily be said about Cam Green, whose horror series reached a new low as he dived across his captain to spill what would have been a regulation slips chance. Australia didn’t bowl particularly well in the morning session as England made a rapid start to their second innings. But five minutes before lunch, Michael Neser finally found his length as Duckett fended an edge off the shoulder to loop up to slips. Smith had moved to get in position only for Green to come across and spill it. Smith was absolutely filthy with Green, having words with him over why he would move across as the all-rounder dared not look back at his captain. Jacks makes a late play for series’ worst shot Somehow, Jamie Smith may leave the Ashes without the taint of having played the worst shot of the series. England had fought incredibly hard to work their way back into this Test, having given up a big first innings lead. With Stokes injured, Will Jacks was promoted up the order after the fall of Harry Brook, with the match tentatively poised with England leading by 37 runs with six wickets in hand. So why he decided to slog the part-time spin of Webster off his second ball perhaps only he and the Bazball acolytes will know. It was a horrid shot given the context of the game and given how hard Australia toiled in the field to gift back-to-back wickets was just downright mystifying.