Jonny Bairstow Praises Joe Root's Remarkable Ashes Performance
Bairstow Celebrates Root's Achievements
Centurion, South Africa - January 6: Veteran England wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow has expressed admiration for his teammate Joe Root, who has impressively scored two Test centuries during the ongoing Ashes series in Australia. Bairstow has labeled Root as the finest player of his generation.
Root entered the Australian tour without a Test century to his name but broke that streak with his first Test hundred in the second Ashes Test at Brisbane, where he played a pivotal role.
He followed up with another outstanding performance in the fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, amassing an impressive 160 runs, contributing significantly to England's total of 384 in their first innings.
With this achievement, Root matched Australian cricket legend Ricky Ponting by scoring his 41st Test century against Australia. This century marked Root's 24th Test hundred since 2021, the highest by any player in that timeframe. He now stands just behind South African great Jacques Kallis (45) and Indian icon Sachin Tendulkar (51) in the all-time list of Test centuries.
Bairstow, who is currently competing for Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20 League, praised Root's resilience and skill, stating that he has proven his critics wrong by achieving two centuries in Australia.
"Absolutely incredible. Joe Root is, without a doubt, the best of our generation. He’s now had 41 Test hundreds. He’s played through some of the trickiest times and proved everyone wrong by scoring two Test centuries in Australia this time. I’m absolutely delighted for him. He’s a great bloke, a great friend. Hopefully, he can get another one in the second innings of the fifth Test," Bairstow remarked to reporters.
In the meantime, Australia is in a strong position during the ongoing fifth Ashes Test in Sydney. At lunch on Day 3, Australia was at 281/3 after 65 overs, trailing by 103 runs against England's 384. Travis Head (162 off 160 balls, including 24 fours and one six) and Steve Smith (16 off 39 balls, with one four) remained unbeaten.
Earlier, England was dismissed for 384 runs in 97.3 overs after choosing to bat first. The opening pair of Zak Crawley (16 off 29 balls, with three fours) and Ben Duckett (27 off 24 balls, with five boundaries) managed a 35-run partnership for the first wicket. Jacob Bethell scored 10 runs off 23 deliveries, including two fours.
Harry Brook contributed 84 runs off 97 balls, featuring six fours and one six, while Joe Root's remarkable 160 off 242 balls, including 15 fours, formed a crucial 169-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
Root also built a 94-run partnership with wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith, who added 46 runs off 76 balls with seven boundaries, helping England surpass the 350-run mark in their first innings. For Australia, Mitchell Starc (2/93), Michael Neser (4/60), and Scott Boland (2/85) were the leading wicket-takers.
Brief Scores: England: 384 (Joe Root 160, Harry Brook 84, Michael Neser 4/60, Scott Boland 2/75) vs Australia: 281/3 (Travis Head 162*, Marnus Labuschagne 48, Ben Stokes 2/41).