New Delhi, Sep 8 || Joe Root was full of praise for rising phenom Jacob Bethell, claiming the left-handed batter is ‘wise beyond his years’ after he scored his maiden ODI century in England’s historic 342-run win over South Africa in the third ODI on Sunday.
Coming into the third ODI with the series already lost 2-0, England were determined to avoid a whitewash. Sent in to bat first, they made an explosive start, reaching 100 runs in just 13.4 overs. The momentum continued as Root and Bethell produced a game-changing 182-run stand.
Bethell, just 21 years old, raised a stunning 110 off 82 balls - becoming the second-youngest Englishman to score a hundred in the men’s ODIs. Root added to the fireworks with a composed knock, bringing up his 19th ODI century. Jos Buttler piled on the pressure late in the innings with a blistering 62 off 32, propelling England to a mammoth 414-run total.
"We needed to get a couple of partnerships on that surface; I and Beth dovetailed, and we took advantage of that and got a fantastic total. Bethell knew what he was doing, wise beyond his years, clear on how he wanted to play, and with wonderful options.