The Ashes: Joe Root Strikes Another Century, Equals Ricky Ponting’s Record

Sydney: England’s batting great Joe Root continued his remarkable run in Test cricket, scoring his 41st Test century during the final Test of the Ashes series at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Root reached the milestone on Day Two, completing his hundred off 146 deliveries after rain restricted play to just 45 overs on the opening day.

Resuming on 72 not out, Root showed composure and class to notch up his second century of the series. With this knock, he joined former Australia captain Ricky Ponting on the elite list of players with the most Test hundreds. Ponting scored 41 centuries in 168 Tests, while Root achieved the same feat in his 163rd match. Only two batters now stand ahead of Root—Sachin Tendulkar with 51 centuries and Jacques Kallis with 45.

This century was particularly significant for Root, as it marked only his second Test hundred on Australian soil. Before this Ashes series, Root had never scored a Test century in Australia. He broke that drought with a 138-run innings at The Gabba earlier in the series, though England lost that match. Apart from those two innings, Root struggled in seven other innings across the first four Tests. He rediscovered his best form in his ninth innings of the tour, once again reaching three figures.

Since 2021, Root has been in a league of his own in Test cricket, amassing 24 centuries—more than double that of any other batter during the same period.

England won the toss and opted to bat first but suffered an early collapse, losing three wickets for just 57 runs. Root then steadied the innings alongside Harry Brook, with the pair adding a crucial 169-run partnership. Brook narrowly missed out on a century, scoring 84 off 97 balls before being dismissed by Scott Boland. England captain Ben Stokes was dismissed for a duck.

By lunch on Day Two, England had reached 336 for 6, with Root’s masterful century standing out as the defining moment of the innings and another reminder of his place among the modern greats of Test cricket.