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Jacob Bethell hit the first century of his professional career as England blitzed 414 in the third ODI against South Africa – silencing some of the questions over his fast-track international promotion.
Bethell has been a fixture of England squads across all formats for the past year, and is set to become the country’s youngest captain when he takes the T20 reins in Ireland later this month, but until Sunday he had never raised his bat for a hundred in competitive cricket.
The 21-year-old finally ended that wait at the Utilita Bowl, blasting 110 in 82 balls as the hosts piled on their fifth highest total for the loss of five wickets – a strong response to losing the Metro Bank Series with a game to spare.
Joe Root knows better than any Englishman what it feels like to reach three figures and he did so for the 58th time in internationals, falling for an even hundred as the Proteas struggled to keep a lid on the scoring. He played the anchor role, easing 50 singles and taking 49 balls to find his second boundary, leaving the higher gears to his younger partner.
Bethell told Sky Sports before play that the much-criticised decision to have him train with England’s Test squad all summer rather than turning out for Warwickshire may have been a mistake – admitting, “I should probably have played a bit more” – but he was in outstanding touch in Southampton.
He was dropped once on 44, Nandre Burger with a costly fumble at mid-on, but his timing and intent were mostly impeccable as he nailed 13 fours and three sixes.
There was no suggestion of nerves as Bethell, holding his spot at number four for the second game in a row, marched through the 90s in just four deliveries. He reached three figures with a perfectly-placed drive through extra-cover, a hallmark of his innings alongside his steepling straight sixes against spin, and raised his arms aloft for a celebration four years in the making.
By the time he was stumped racing down the track at Keshav Maharaj, he had not only become England’s second youngest ODI centurion after David Gower but also showed the rare talent behind the selectors’ faith.
The tourists were short of their best after two impressive wins at Headingley and Lord’s, with Aiden Markram’s easy drop off Ben Duckett setting a poor tone. Duckett (33) shared an opening stand of 59 with Jamie Smith, with the latter reaching 62 before holing out off Maharaj.
Jos Buttler put his foot down late on, motoring to an unbeaten 62 off just 32 deliveries as he ensured a ground record total, leaving captain Harry Brook the only man to miss out. He ran himself out carelessly for the second time in the series with just three to his name.