England’s top order came under further pressure as Jacob Bethell was dismissed for 1, leaving the visitors 8/2 after 4 overs. Scott Boland’s replacement, Michael Neser, produced a probing delivery from around the wicket, full and shaping away just enough to draw the mistake.
Bethell moved forward to push at the ball but could only manage a faint outside edge, which also brushed his back pad before carrying through to Alex Carey, who dived sharply to his left to complete a clean catch. There was brief confusion as umpire Kumar Dharmasena took a moment before raising the finger, but Bethell eventually walked off after a short chat with Zak Crawley.
It was a quality dismissal—Bethell played for the angle, but the late movement did him in. With two wickets down inside four overs, England’s recurring new-ball struggles have once again left them on the back foot, handing Australia early control.
