Ashes: Joe Root ends century drought, scores first-ever hundred in Australia

Root reached the milestone in 181 balls, batting through a phase when England needed stability and control, and in the process, checked off one of the few achievements missing from his record.
England's Joe Root celebrates his century during the second Ashes cricket test match between Australia and England in Brisbane, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.. (AP Photo)
After 16 matches, 30 innings, and four tours spread across over a decade, Joe Root finally had his moment in Australia. The England batter reached his maiden century on Australian soil on Thursday at the Gabba in Brisbane, in the second Test of the ongoing Ashes series, bringing an end to a long wait. Root reached the milestone in 181 balls, batting through a phase when England needed stability and control, and in the process, checked off one of the few achievements missing from his record. His earlier highest Test score on Australian soil was 89. With the century on Thursday, Joe Root has now scored 40 hundreds in his Test career. Root is now only one behind former Australian captain Ricky Ponting, who has 41 Test hundreds. Overall, Root is at number four in terms of number of centuries in Tests, behind only Sachin Tendulkar (51), Jacques Kallis (45), and Ricky Ponting (41). Australia, who won the opening Test inside two days in Perth, went into this match without regular skipper Pat Cummins. He had been rumoured to be making an early return from a back injury, but instead the hosts sprung a major surprise by leaving out off-spinner Nathan Lyon for seamer Michael Neser. It was the first time in almost 14 years that Australia played a Test at home without a frontline spinner.
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