Can Jacob Bethell Outperform Ollie Pope at Number 3?
England is all set for the Ashes to be played in Australia. But it is still not confirmed who will bat for the team at number three. Will it be Ollie Pope or Jacob Bethell? The team management is a bit confused between experience and experiment.
England is all set for the Ashes to be played in Australia. But it is still not confirmed who will bat for the team at number three. Will it be Ollie Pope or Jacob Bethell? The team management is a bit confused between experience and experiment.
The Ashes is set to commence from 21 November 2025. England had announced its team a few weeks ago, and there have been various questions about it. One of them was related to the number three spot in the team's batting line-up. who could bat there, but not all of them are good contenders.
The two players on whom England would be taking a late call are Jacob Bethell and Ollie Pope. The youngster Jacob Bethell has looked promising to the team across all formats. Recently, he also expressed his emotions on being selected for the Ashes. He further continued by saying that he would take any opportunity given to him in the Ashes.
1. Ollie Pope
Ollie Pope has a lot of experience for the English team in the Test format. Since his debut in 2018, Pope has played 61 Test matches till now. Whether the team wants him to score centuries in Home Tests or Away Tests, Pope has been able to deliver consistently.
Ollie Pope in Test format:
- Innings: 107
- Not Out: 5
- Runs: 3607
- Average: 35.36
- Strike Rate: 64.36
- 100s: 9
- 50s: 16
However, Ollie Pope could face a challenge in The Ashes. He has not been able to perform well against Australia, which remains a concern. Playing in 5 Test matches against them, Pope has scored just 157 runs at an average of 15.70.
England might take this factor as a consideration before they take a call on Pope at number three. Moreover, when England visited Australia in 2021/22, Pope failed to perform there also. In three Test matches, he was able to score just 67 runs at an average of 11.16, with a high score of 35.
Ollie Pope in Tests in 2025:
- Innings: 10
- Not Out: 0
- Runs: 477
- Average: 47.70
- Strike Rate: 69.23
- 100s: 2
- 50s: 1
He will be visiting Australia after three years. And it should be noted that Ollie Pope gave some best performances in the Anderson Tendulkar Trophy too. But the major challenge now lies when he goes against Australia in Australia.
2. Jacob Bethell
Jacob Bethell has been the newest entry to the English team. Within a year of making his debut, he is now an all-format player for them, contributing with both bat and ball. Still, his experience with the red ball is restricted to just four games.
Jacob Bethell in Test format:
- Innings: 8
- Not Out: 1
- Runs: 271
- Average: 38.71
- Strike Rate: 69.30
- 100s: 0
- 50s: 3
Bethell has played just a few games, but he has shown his strength with the bat. Moreover, if the team goes with Bethell, they would have an extra bowling option. He is yet to secure a big score with the bat against Australia across all formats.
Bringing Jacob Bethell would help England have an extra batsman and a bowler. But the team management would have a tough decision on whom to send at number three. Will they go with the experience of Ollie Pope, or experiment with Jacob Bethell?
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