Joe Root Celebrates First Test Century in Australia During Ashes Series

Joe Root has finally achieved his first Test century on Australian soil during the ongoing Ashes series. Scoring 135 not out, he has now reached 40 Test centuries, closing in on Ricky Ponting's record. Root's performance comes after a stellar outing against India, and he is now the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket. This century was a long-awaited milestone in his career, as he aims to surpass legends like Sachin Tendulkar. Read more about his remarkable innings and the match recap.

By Narendra Chaudhary Dec 4, 2025, 18:24 IST

Historic Achievement for Joe Root

On Thursday, England's star batter Joe Root marked a significant milestone by scoring his first Test century on Australian soil. This achievement came during the pink-ball Test against Australia, which is the second match in the five-match Ashes series. After 13 years since his Test debut, Root finally reached the coveted three-figure score at the Brisbane Cricket Ground, completing it in 181 balls with 11 boundaries. He concluded the day with an impressive score of 135 not out off 202 balls, including 15 fours and a six, maintaining a strike rate exceeding 66. Following his century, Root showcased his skill with an effortless reverse ramp shot. View the moment here.

Root's Century Milestone

This innings marked Root's 40th Test century, bringing him closer to surpassing Australian great Ricky Ponting, who has 41 centuries. Root is now just two centuries away from becoming the third-highest century scorer in Test history, trailing behind South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis (45) and Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar (51).

Pursuing Greatness

Entering the Ashes series, Root had just come off a remarkable performance in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against India, where he amassed 537 runs in nine innings at an average of 67.12, including three centuries and a fifty. Despite having scored centuries in various major Test venues worldwide, a century in Australia was the last piece missing from Root's impressive Test legacy. He is currently the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket, with over 13,000 runs, and is on the hunt for Tendulkar's all-time record of 15,921 runs and 51 centuries across 200 Tests.

Conquering New Grounds

In the first low-scoring Ashes Test at Perth's Optus Stadium, Root faced challenges, scoring 0 and 8. However, in his 16th Test and 30th innings in Australia, he finally achieved his long-awaited milestone during a pink-ball, day-night Test. To date, Root has scored 1,035 runs in Australia at an average of 38.33, including one century and nine fifties across 16 Tests and 30 innings.

Day 1 Recap of the Ashes Pink-Ball Test

In the ongoing match, England won the toss and chose to bat first. After Mitchell Starc's impressive bowling reduced England to 5/2, dismissing both Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope for ducks, Root formed a crucial partnership with Zak Crawley, contributing to a 117-run stand (Crawley scored 76 off 93 balls with 11 fours). Another significant partnership with Harry Brook (31 off 33 balls, with four boundaries) followed. Australia made critical breakthroughs, including a run-out of England's captain Ben Stokes (19) by Josh Inglis, leaving England at 264/9. Starc achieved his sixth five-wicket haul in pink-ball Tests, but Root's aggressive batting alongside Jofra Archer (32 not out off 26 balls, including a four and two sixes) helped England finish Day 1 at 325/9 after 74 overs.