Jinx shattered! Joe Root scores his first Test century on Australian soil

The modern-day Test great, England’s Joe Root, proved why he is rated so highly by his countrymen and opposition alike as, on Thursday, playing the second Test of the Ashes 2025-26 in Brisbane, he claimed the record that has eluded him for a long time — scoring a Test hundred on Australian soil.

 

Root came out to bat when England were struggling at 5 for 2, and despite his failure in the first Test at Perth, he put his class and composure on display to score his maiden Test hundred in Australia. Root took 181 balls to complete his century and has led England to a fighting position in the match. Before this, Root’s best score in Australia was 89 at the very same venue back in 2021. 

Root keeps Hayden’s word

Before the start of the Ashes 2025-26 season, former Aussie opener Matthew Hayden, putting his faith in the English batter’s abilities, said he would run around the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) naked if Root failed to score a ton in Australia this summer. Hayden’s daughter also urged Root to score a hundred so that her father would not get embarrassed in front of his home crowd. Root, who had acknowledged the request, did not disappoint Hayden and his daughter, scoring his maiden Test ton on Australian soil in Brisbane.

Just one ton behind Ponting now

Root’s first century on Australian soil is also his 40th overall Test century, which means he is now just one behind former Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting, who has the most Test tons (41). However, Root still has a long way to go to reach the top two spots, as South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis, with 45 Test tons, is in second place, while Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar leads the table with 51 Test centuries.

Players with the most centuries in Test cricket:

Player	Mat	Inns	Runs	HS	100s	50s
SR Tendulkar (IND)	200	329	15921	248*	51	68
JH Kallis (SA/ICC)	166	280	13289	224	45	58
RT Ponting (AUS)	168	287	13378	257	41	62
JE Root (ENG)	160	291	13647	262	40	67
KC Sangakkara (SL)	134	233	12400	319	38	52
SPD Smith (AUS)	121	214	10496	239	36	43
R Dravid (IND)	164	286	13288	270	36	63
Younis Khan (PAK)	118	213	10099	313	34	33
SM Gavaskar (IND)	125	214	10122	236*	34	45
BC Lara (WI/ICC)	131	232	11953	400*	34	48
DPMD Jayawardene (SL)	149	252	11814	374	34	50
KS Williamson (NZ)	106	188	9337	251	33	38
AN Cook (ENG)	161	291	12472	294	33	57
SR Waugh (AUS)	168	260	10927	200	32	50
ML Hayden (AUS)	103	184	8625	380	30	29
V Kohli (IND)	123	210	9230	254*	30	31