Cricket-England's Bethell ready for Ashes if opportunity comes his way

(Reuters) -England batter Jacob Bethell is unsure if his first hundred in international cricket in Sunday's one-dayer against South Africa has opened the door to the Ashes squad but the 21-year-old is confident he would not let anyone down if given the opportunity.

The left-handed batter struck a belligerent 110 as England pummelled South Africa by a record 342 runs in the third and final one-dayer in Southampton.

Bethell, who turns 22 next month, is expected to be included in the squad for the five-test series in Australia, though Ollie Pope remains first choice at number three despite the England vice-captain's inconsistent recent form.

"I don't know if these runs mean anything but I don't think they can hurt," Bethell said of his Southampton century.

"If the opportunity arises, I'll hopefully be there to take it."

It was Bethell's second successive 50-plus score in the series and the Warwickshire player is determined to keep putting up the big numbers.

"It was a bit of a blur to be honest, but it was a great feeling ... It was unbelievable," he added. "It feels like an addictive feeling, so hopefully there's a few more of them to come."

Fellow centurion Joe Root was full of praise for a player he has watched for a long time.

"He's very clear on how he wants to play his cricket," he said. "I've known him for a long time - since he was eight years old - so for him to play an innings like that and get us in that position at the halfway stage was fantastic."

The Ashes series begins in Perth on Nov. 21.

(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Peter Rutherford)