Like his second-innings 50 on debut in Christchurch last week, Bethell’s runs came in a relatively low-pressure situation.
Yet his impressive performances will spark debate over whether England have to find a place for him, especially as Crawley continues to struggle. Caught at mid-wicket for eight, Crawley has been out to Henry in all four innings of this series without scoring a run off the seamer.
Bethell is calm, organised and compact. While Duckett attempted all manner of trick shots, Bethell busily pushed the scoring along with elegance and the occasional fortune from edges through the slips.
Savage on anything short, Bethell pulled three sixes. Duckett had two minor let-offs, one on 22 when he tickled Smith down the leg side off the fingertips of wicketkeeper Blundell, then on 33 when he edged a snorter off Southee over the same man.
Bethell played drives on both sides and cuts behind point. Only late on was he tied down. Hit by Will O’Rourke, he flapped at Southee and a top-edge just evaded Henry running back from mid-on.
In the same over, an attempted drive resulted in his downfall. Century missed, Bethell received a rousing ovation from the crowd and a consoling pat on the back from Duckett, who fell short of his own ton by playing on off Southee.
