Australian century proves 'phenomenon' Joe Root is England's 'greatest ever' as batter shines in second Ashes Test
Updated 04/12/2025 at 14:29 GMT
"England's greatest ever" Joe Root ended his wait for a century on Australian soil, as the batter finally passed the milestone during the opening day of the second Test of the NRMA Insurance men’s Ashes. The 34-year-old hit the ton off 181 balls to finally get the monkey off his back, as England look to level the series in Brisbane. Watch every ball of the Ashes live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Root finally ends hoodoo with first century Down Under
Video credit: TNT Sports
Joe Root celebrated a century for the first time on Australian soil on Thursday as the England batter finally passed the milestone during the opening day of the second Test of the NRMA Insurance men’s Ashes series.
In his 16th Test Down Under, Root sealed his 40th Test century as England brought up 256-7 in Brisbane, shown live on TNT Sports and discovery+, with the visitors ending day one on 325-9.
"Joe Root has put the story to bed," said Sir Alastair Cook on commentary, after Root reached three figures off 181 balls.
"Even Australians have to admit he's a great now. A brilliant innings, just what England needed. Superb under pressure as always."
Three-time Ashes winner Matt Prior added: "I have been astonished at how much chat there has been about this man as a cricketer, as a batsman. He's a phenomenon, and he's proved it again here at the Gabba.
"He is England's greatest ever and he's going to be the greatest ever in my book."
There had been plenty of discussion about Root’s record in Australia ahead of the series, though the 34-year-old played down the importance of having never scored a century there.
He faced further criticism from the Australian media after his single-figure outings in Perth - but Root had the last laugh.
"I'm actually quite emotional about it because I've been absolutely staggered with the amount of conversation we've had about Joe Root, and I think someone even suggested he was the weak link, which is just utterly ridiculous," continued Prior.
"They've wound him up, they've wound up the wrong guy. What an incredible innings for him to play."
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'Wound up the wrong guy' - Root silences critics with 'incredible' milestone
Video credit: TNT Sports
Steven Finn added: "He's done it, and you could just see in the commentary box that everyone is celebrating. Here in the ground the Barmy Army are going nuts for him.
"He never had anything to prove. To me, as a player, he's England's greatest, absolutely. He didn't need to score 100 here to be a great player, but now he has done it."
With 13,686 runs to his name, Root now has Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time Test record of 15,921 in his sights, according to Finn.
"He has an insatiable appetite for making runs," he said. "He took the onus today to make sure that with wickets falling around him, he was there to anchor the innings, and the way that him and Jofra Archer played at the end has left England in a really good position."
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Root halfway towards elusive first century in Australia
Video credit: TNT Sports
Zak Crawley, whose 76 helped England rebuild after a chaotic start at the Gabba, was full of praise for his team-mate.
He said: "Chuffed for him. He hasn’t been speaking about it at all, that’s just outside noise, he’s very focused on getting whatever score is needed on the day and that was a 100 today.
"He’s the best player I’ve played with, probably against as well, and he’s a champion bloke."
Things were looking ominous early on for Brendon McCullum's side, who are aiming to level the series after falling to an eight-wicket defeat in the opener following Travis Head's heroics.
England were reduced to 5-2 as Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope were removed for a duck by the magnificent Mitchell Starc, before Crawley and Root's solid partnership helped England rebuild.
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Harry Brook's shot selection was questioned as he was dismissed to make it 176-4, before the hosts celebrated the quick-fire wickets of Ben Stokes and Jamie Smith.
Tension rose as Will Jacks was caught in the slips, leaving Root stranded on 98, before he finally breached three figures in style with a boundary to silence his critics.
Starc then removed Gus Atkinson (4) and Brydon Carse (0) to make further inroads and wrap up his six-wicket haul, before Archer and Root hit back with a flurry of late boundaries to end the day on a positive note for England.
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