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

1. Sachin Tendulkar: 51 centuries in 200 matches
2. Jacques Kallis: 45 centuries in 166 matches
3. Joe Root: 41 centuries in 163 matches
4. Ricky Ponting: 41 centuries in 168 matches
5. 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.

Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has decided to part ways with their head coach, Jonathan Trott, after the end of the T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka. They announced the decision on Monday, stating that it would be a long-term strategic decision for the next phase of the national team’s growth. During his tenure, the Asian side earned incredible success in both white-ball formats of the game.

Afghanistan narrowly missed out on the chance to qualify for the semifinal of the 2023 World Cup, finishing sixth on the points table, having defeated some strong sides like England, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan in the competition. They were even more clinical in the T20 World Cup 2024, qualifying for the semifinal stage for the first time with victories over New Zealand, Australia, and Bangladesh.

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“It has been a privilege to work with the Afghanistan National Team and to witness their passion, resilience, and hunger to achieve greatness. I am proud of what we have accomplished together, and I will always remain a supporter of Afghan cricket. I wish the team and the Afghan people continued success in the years ahead.” Head coach Trott spoke on his tenure.

Jonathan Trott to end his Afghanistan head coach tenure post T20 World Cup 2026

Under Rashid Khan and Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afghanistan featured in the away ODI and T20I series against Zimbabwe before shifting their focus to another series. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) CEO, Naseeb Khan, added that the decision has been part of the broader vision beyond 2026.

“Jonathan has played an important role in our journey, helping our players grow in confidence and compete against the world's strongest sides. As we look ahead to 2026 and beyond, this transition is part of our broader plan to take Afghanistan cricket to its next level.”- The ACB CEO addressed.

“On behalf of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, I extend our sincere gratitude to Jonathan Trott for his dedicated service and the professionalism he brought to our national team. His efforts have supported a crucial period in the development of Afghanistan cricket, and we wish him every success in his future endeavors.” The ACB chairman, Mirwais Ashraf, shed light.

Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott expressed his disappointment following his team’s defeat against Sri Lanka in Match 11 of the Asia Cup 2025. The Rashid Khan-led side lost a do-or-die encounter by six wickets, ending their campaign in the continental tournament. Trott, a former English batter, praised Mohammad Nabi and the batting lineup for posting a competitive total but stressed that mistakes in bowling and fielding cost the team dearly.

“It was a very disappointing loss and a hard one to swallow. We felt we were in a good position, especially after Nabi’s heroics helped us reach 170 [169]. The batters actually played well, but we let them off with our bowling and fielding,” Trott told India Today. He emphasized that Afghanistan’s inability to start strongly with the ball gave Sri Lanka an early advantage in the match.

Trott also acknowledged the opposition’s achievement, noting that Sri Lanka became the second team from Group B to advance to the Super Four stage. “We didn’t start well in the powerplay with the ball and gave them an early advantage. Too many basic errors, whether in batting, bowling, or fielding cost us. You don’t win games at cricket, certainly in tournaments like this with those mistakes. Full credit to Bangladesh, who go through along with Sri Lanka,” he added.

Nabi’s Late Blitz Not Enough as Sri Lanka Prevails

Afghanistan decided to bat first and made 169 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in their 20 overs. Besides that, Nabi (60* off 22) made the innings explosive, scoring five sixes in the last over of the innings. His innings could not prevent Sri Lanka from winning. Kusal Mendis (74* off 52) and Kamindu Mendis (26* off 13) played a leading role in scoring the runs and led the team to an easy victory.

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On the bowling side of the game, Nuwan Thushara was tremendous for Sri Lanka as he picked up four wickets (4/18 in four overs), while Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Noor Ahmad conceded 117 runs in 9.4 overs. With Sri Lanka's stronger powerplay of 53/2 in the first six overs, it seemed to set the standard for the chase, as well as expose the failings of Afghanistan in all three departments.

Shubman Gill, the captain of India, displayed a fierce attitude on Day 3 of the third Test at Lord's, when he accused the England opener Zak Crawley of wasting time. Crawley went down clutching his hand towards the end of the day, and Gill didn't like this and burst into the England batter's face and gave him some word action as well. The tense moment escalated, prompting Ben Duckett to step in and calm things down as tempers flared during the final over.

Reacting to the incident, former England batter Jonathan Trott offered sharp criticism of Gill’s behavior, drawing comparisons to ex-India captain Virat Kohli. In a chat with broadcaster JioStar, Trott said, “A little bit of gamesmanship—and for me, we don't know what went on when England was fielding, whether they were dishing it out. But I didn't like the acting from Shubman Gill. As a captain, you set the tone, and as I have said before, pointing fingers and getting confrontational feels reminiscent of a previous captain, who used to get in the opposition's face. That is not what the game should be about.”

Trott acknowledged the competitiveness of Test cricket but urged players, especially captains, to maintain composure. “I am all for being competitive and tough on the field, but sometimes you have got to rise above it,” he said. Still, the former England player admitted the drama adds spice to the contest: “That said, it certainly sets up a fascinating day tomorrow.”

Praise for Rahul and Pant; Warning Ahead of Day 4

Shifting focus to the cricketing action, Trott lauded KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant for their impressive performances in the first innings. “Just the way they put the bad balls away—it was impressive… they knew how to defend, played good, solid shots, and picked up singles when available. But the key was putting away the bad deliveries,” he noted, calling them quality players who know how to weather pressure.

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Looking ahead to Day 4, Trott emphasized the importance of surviving the new ball spell from Jasprit Bumrah. “England will have to see off the new ball early… They must ensure Bumrah doesn't get into a rhythm—playing straight and tight will be key,” he warned. Trott noted the weather was expected to be fine and predicted a full day of high-stakes cricket, adding that England would need clear plans to counter some of the threats from India’s bowling attack.