NEW DELHI: Former England greats David Gower and Michael Vaughan were full of praise for Jacob Bethell after the 22-year-old produced a coming-of-age performance in the fifth and final Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Bethell's composed, unbeaten 142 on Day 4 not only kept England in the hunt but also announced his arrival on the big stage, drawing glowing reactions from some of the most respected voices in English cricket.

Bethell's knock helped England to take a crucial 119-run lead in their second innings in response to Australia's first innings score of 567.

"Bethell. Brilliant. Delighted. Nuff said!" Gower wrote on X.

Vaughan said that Bethell's outstanding innings set the standard for how England should approach Test batting going forward, calling it a model performance for future generations of Three Lions batters.

"A star has been born here at the SCG .. The tempo / Technique and class of Jacob Bethell today is the blueprint for England's future Test batters," Vaughan wrote on X.

With his maiden first-class century, the 22-year-old Bethell etched his name into a rare chapter of Ashes history, becoming the ninth England batter to register a hundred against Australia before aged 22 or younger.

In doing so, he joined an illustrious club featuring Johnny Briggs, Jack Hearne, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, Colin Cowdrey, David Gower, Mike Atherton, Alastair Cook and Ben Stokes.