Joe Root Ends Long Wait With First Test Century in Australia, Moves to 40 Career Hundreds
After years of near miss and expectation, Joe Root finally scored his first Test century in Australia — reaching the milestone at the Gabba in Brisbane during the second Test of the current Ashes series.
Root’s long-awaited hundred came off 181 balls, as he steadied the innings when England needed composure and control. Before this, his highest Test score in Australia was 89.
That century takes him to 40 Test hundreds, putting him just one behind former Australia captain Ricky Ponting (41 centuries) — and firmly in the top 5 all-time list behind legends such as Sachin Tendulkar and Jacques Kallis.
The milestone also ended a dramatic side-bet by Matthew Hayden, who had promised to “walk nude around the MCG” if Root failed to make a century on tour. After the ton, Hayden congratulated Root — publicly admitting that no one had more skin in the game than him.
After 16 matches, 30 innings and four Ashes tours over more than a decade, Root finally achieved the feat — delivering the innings that had long been expected, and one that cements his legacy among the modern greats.
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