Joe Root smashes 41st Test century in Sydney, equals Ricky Ponting and Jonathan Trott records in AUS vs ENG 5th Test
Joe Root has gone level with Ricky Ponting, sitting equal-third on the all-time men’s Test century list, after bringing up his 41st hundred on day two in Sydney. He also equalled a special record held by Jonathan Trott. Read the complete news here.
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Veteran English batter Joe Root once again proved his critics wrong by scoring his second century of the Ashes series during the ongoing fifth Test in Sydney. The modern-day Test great brought up his 41st Test hundred, equalling Ricky Ponting’s record.
Before the Ashes, there was much speculation about how Root would perform in Australia, as he had not scored a single Test century there. However, he ended that drought with a masterful hundred in the Day-Night Test in Brisbane earlier in the series.
Root followed that performance with another brilliant century in the first innings of the fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. This marked his 41st Test ton, placing him alongside Ricky Ponting in third place for the most centuries in Test cricket history.
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Most Centuries in Test Cricket
- Sachin Tendulkar: 51 centuries in 200 matches
- Jacques Kallis: 45 centuries in 166 matches
- Joe Root: 41 centuries in 163 matches
- Ricky Ponting: 41 centuries in 168 matches
- Kumar Sangakkara: 38 centuries in 134 matches
Root’s Masterclass at the SCG
Resuming on 72 after play was called early on day one, Joe Root continued his push with ease despite a strong bowling effort from the hosts and a more inconsistent pitch.
Root watched his teammates fall at the other end—Harry Brook (84), Ben Stokes (0), and Jamie Smith (46)—but remained steady, walking off at lunch on 138 not out.
In the middle session, Root reached the 150 mark, with his innings finally ending at 160 after an athletic caught-and-bowled by Michael Neser. This was his second century on the tour, having curiously not reached the mark in 14 previous Tests in Australia.
England were bowled out for 384, with Australian openers Travis Head and Jake Weatherald putting together a half-century stand in reply. England trail 3-1 in the five-Test Ashes, though a win in Sydney would give them 12 vital World Test Championship 2027 points as they look to climb from seventh in the nine-team table.
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Root Achieves Major England Records
Root’s century at the SCG also brought him another major milestone. The 35-year-old became only the fourth England player to score multiple away Ashes centuries since 1994/95, joining Michael Vaughan (3), Alastair Cook (3), and Jonathan Trott (2).
Since 2021, Root has been in phenomenal form, striking 24 Test centuries in just over two years, with the next-best player managing 10 in the same period. For the first time in his career, Root has now converted each of his last five Test half-centuries into hundreds, having previously converted four in a row from 2022 to 2024.
He is now closing in on the all-time England record. The most consecutive half-centuries converted into centuries for England is six, achieved by Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Strauss, and Alastair Cook.
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Avijit Das
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