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.

Also Read -Watch: Young fans misbehave with Rohit Sharma as former captain’s reply goes viral

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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.

Read also -776 days since his last ODI: Why India Is still holding Jasprit Bumrah back

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.

The current coach of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) from the Indian Premier League (IPL), Ricky Ponting, has been shocked at the omission of Shubman Gill from India’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka. Ahead of the event, during the Asia Cup 2025, Gill was the vice-captain of the blue brigade.

Since returning to the format, Shubman Gill couldn’t manage a single half-century in the format and was axed from the T20 World Cup side as a result. Ponting noted that he was surprised at the BCCI’s decision to drop the Punjab batter from their world event squad.

See Also: Bangladesh announce 15-member squad for T20 World Cup 2026

“I couldn’t believe that. I mean, I know his recent form hasn’t been great in white-ball cricket. The last time that I really saw much of him play was the Test series against England in the UK, where he batted as well as I’ve ever seen anybody bat. I think, one, I’m surprised, but two, it just shows the depth of Indian cricket.” Ponting expressed in the ICC review.

Ricky Ponting shocked at Shubman Gill’s T20 World Cup 2026 omission

Gill’s average has dropped terribly in the shortest format during the home T20I series against South Africa, as he also struggled at the opening position with Abhishek Sharma, who always comes under pressure inside the powerplay. BCCI’s chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, addressed the lack of runs for the right-handed batter.

“We know what a quality player he is, but perhaps short of a little bit of runs at the moment. It’s unfortunate to have missed out on the last World Cup as well, because we went with different combinations. But it’s the combinations more than anything else. Someone has to miss out when you pick 15, and unfortunately, it’s Gill at this point.” Agarkar added.

“We are looking at the combination. If the keeper is going to bat at the top, at the moment Jitesh is there, and he has not done too much wrong. But we need to look at the combination and a keeper at the top.” The former Indian pacer reflected during the press conference.

Australian wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis, who was released by Punjab Kings ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, has confirmed that he will be available for only four matches in the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League. The 30-year-old, who has two T20I centuries for Australia, has reportedly entered the IPL 2026 auction with a base price of ₹2 crore. But before the auction in Abu Dhabi on December 16, he made it clear that he can play just four games.

According to a report by Cricbuzz on Thursday (December 4), out of the 1355 players who registered for the IPL 2026 auction, five have informed the BCCI about their limited availability.

As per the report, “Inglis has informed the BCCI that he would feature in only 25 per cent of IPL 2026. In simple terms, he has told the franchises through the Board that he can take part in no more than four matches."

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Inglis Shines for PBKS in IPL 2025

Inglis was one of the top performers for Punjab Kings in IPL 2025. He played 11 matches for the Shreyas Iyer-led side and scored 278 runs. In the team’s last league match against Mumbai Indians in Jaipur, he scored 73 runs from 42 balls and helped PBKS chase 185 to win by 7 wickets. He also played an important knock in the second qualifier against MI in Ahmedabad.

🚨 🚨

Ahead of #IPLAuction, Josh Inglis has notified the franchises via the BCCI that he can play no more than four games in #IPL2026.

He’s listed at a ₹2 crore base price. pic.twitter.com/6bCLrXnoCB

— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) December 4, 2025

Why PBKS Released Him Before IPL 2026

When PBKS released Inglis ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, head coach Ricky Ponting said the decision was made because of his limited availability.

“Josh Inglis played some great knocks for us in the second half of the season,” Ponting said on Star Sports after PBKS announced their retentions. “He missed a few games due to different reasons. He also told me this year that he would not be available for most of the next season. Because of that, it was almost impossible to retain him,” Ponting added.

Reports also say that Inglis is planning to get married next year, and that is why he won’t be able to play the full IPL 2026 season.

ODI centuries are hard to come by these days, with most of the top-order players aiming to contribute only in aggressive shots from the start of the innings. Centuries don’t hold the same edge for respective teams if they don’t come at a particular rate, and the teams end up losing the contest. In the recent clash between the West Indies and New Zealand, Shai Hope created a huge feat.

During his century, the West Indies wicket-keeper batter and the captain of the side became only the fifth batter in the world cricket to register centuries against all the Test-playing nations. It also has the former Australia captain, Ricky Ponting, along with India's Sachin Tendulkar and South Africa's Hashim Amla in the side. 

It's an art to score ODI centuries. Crafting to the condition of the surface against the pacers or the spinners in various situations of the game, with several changes of rules and reverse swing coming into the equation, batters need to tackle various obstcales for the centuries. Also, if the batters come late in the department, they have to keep going with the higher strike rate to help the team's score. 

Let’s take a look at the list of players to score ODI centuries against all Test-playing Nations ft. Shai Hope

1. Ricky Ponting (Australia)

The former Australian top-order batter and the captain of the side, Ricky Ponting, was a true ace when it came to piling up on the records for his team. Through his legendary career, Ponting became the first batter in the 50-over format to record centuries against all the Test-playing nations in the ODI format.

See Also: ICC announces dates and venues for U-19 Men's ODI World Cup 2026

The 50-year-old ended his ODI career with 13704 runs in 365 innings. The right-handed batter recorded this feat at an average of 42.03 and a strike rate of 80.39 with the help of 30 centuries and 82 half-centuries at the best score of 164 runs. It was an incredibly successful career for the veteran, who won several World Cups as captain for the Australian side.

2. Herschelle Gibbs (South Africa)

The flamboyant South Africa batter, Herschelle Gibbs, may have had his ups and downs in his ODI career, but he became the second member of the ODI side after Ricky to smash ODI centuries against all the Test-playing nations of his time. The hard-hitting batter reached the milestone against England in Cape Town more than a couple of decades ago.

Gibbs, who scored five of his 21 centuries against the West Indies and Australia, smacked 8094 runs in the 50-over format for the Rainbow Nation in 240 innings at an average of 36.13 and a strike rate of 83.26. The right-handed batter celebrated 21 centuries and 37 half-centuries in this process at the best score of 175 runs.

3. Sachin Tendulkar (India)

Is there any list of records in world cricket without Sachin Tendulkar? The cricketing God has found his name in possibly all the formats and lists of the game. The former captain of the Indian cricket side was the third to reach the milestone of reaching centuries in the ODI cricket against all the Test-playing nations. He celebrated his 100th international century against Bangladesh in 2012.

Tendulkar is the leading run-getter of the ODI format. He smashed 18426 runs in 452 innings of the 50-over format at an average of 44.83 and a strike rate of 86.23 with the help of 49 centuries and 96 half-centuries at the best score of unbeaten 200 runs. Tendulkar’s record of 49 centuries was breached only by Virat Kohli during the ODI World Cup 2023 semifinal against New Zealand in Mumbai.

4. Hashim Amla (South Africa)

Hashim Amla is another Protea batter who used to break the ODI records for fun. Opening the batting for the Rainbow Nation, Amla was superb against both the pacers and spinners with the bat in hand. One of his exceptional records was to score centuries against all the Test-playing nations of the game. He completed the record in November 2014 when he got a ton down under.

The 42-year-old Natal-born batter nailed 8113 runs in 178 innings of the ODI format at an average of around 50 and a strike rate of 88.39 with the help of 27 centuries and 39 half-centuries at the best score of 159 runs.

5. Shai Hope (West Indies)

The new entry of the list is West Indies’ captain of the ODI format, Shai Hope. In the first innings of the second clash at McLean Park in Napier, Hope celebrated the record by coming out to bat at number four. The right-handed batter nailed a fine record of unbeaten 109 runs with the help of 13 boundaries and four sixes at a strike rate of 157.97 in 69 deliveries as the West Indies recorded 247 in their allotted 34 overs.

Hope now has collected 6097 runs in 82 innings of the ODI format at an average of nearly 50 and a strike rate of nearly 80 with the help of 19 centuries and 30 half-centuries at the best score of 170.

WWE superstar Roman Reigns uses a cricket bat in wrestling at WWE Crown Jewel 2025, taking place at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. The Tribal Chief went up against Bronson Reed of Adelaide, who is referred to as "AusZilla," in a match that had everyone in suspense. During the fight, Reigns suddenly picked up a cricket bat and hit Reed, leaving the crowd stunned and excited. Commentator Wade Barrett compared Reigns to Australia’s cricket greats Ricky Ponting and Steve Smith for his powerful shots.

The WWE event came just before the much-awaited Ashes 2025–26 series between Australia and England. The series will start in Perth from November 21 to 25, followed by Tests in Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney. With cricket season around the corner, Roman Reigns’ use of a cricket bat in the ring perfectly matched the country’s cricket fever and gave fans a moment to remember.

The Crown Jewel show had a packed lineup with legendary matches. John Cena and AJ Styles faced each other one last time in their famous rivalry. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins clashed in a champion vs. champion match, while Tiffany Stratton took on Stephanie Vaquer in a women’s title fight. But the most talked-about match was between Reigns and Reed because of the unexpected cricket twist.

Reigns’ Cricket Moment Lights Up Perth

During the fight, Reigns used the bat to knock Bronson Reed out of the ring. Wade Barrett shouted, “He’s like Steve Smith out here!” making the crowd roar with laughter and cheers. Even with his strong performance, Reigns couldn’t win, as Reed pinned him for the biggest victory of his career.

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Meanwhile, cricket fans also heard from recently retired England pacer Chris Woakes, who spoke about the upcoming Ashes. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, "Going to Australia is a different beast. I'm hoping the guys can go and do a good job and we've got a great chance this time. We have great depth and a great squad. The lads in the first XI, if they can stay fit and on the field we have a hell of a chance. Ashes cricket is played with more venom behind it but these players have played a lot of international cricket and enough to know what it's about.

"We have been building nicely over the last few years but not quite got over the line in the big series, but it doesn't get any bigger than this. We are due a competitive performance down under and these guys have got that in the locker."

The former captain of the Mumbai Indians (MI) from the Indian Premier League (IPL), Ricky Ponting, has criticized the media outlets of Pakistan for spreading false quotes which revealed that India were loser for not shaking hands with the Pakistan players during their clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium during the Asia Cup 2025.

Suryakumar Yadav nailed the winning six to claim the victory and walked off the field with his partner, Shivam Dube, before the Indian players went up the stairs and locked the dressing room. Ponting, who is the current head coach of the Punjab Kings, has made a statement that he didn’t say anything like that.

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“I am aware of certain comments being attributed to me on social media. Please know that I categorically did not make those statements and indeed have made no public comment about the Asia Cup at all.”  The former captain of the Australian side revealed on his social media accounts.

Ricky Ponting slams Pakistan outlets for running fake quotes on Asia Cup 2025 handshake

The Salman Ali Agha-led side was bundled out for 127/9 in their first innings, which was shouldered by Shaheen Afridi’s unbeaten 33 runs. In the chase, Abhishek Sharma and captain Suryakumar Yadav’s aggressive knocks helped the Blue Brigade to complete the chase by nine wickets and 25 balls to spare. They also qualified for the super four stage of the event.

“This match will be remembered forever with India as the big loser. The way the Pakistani team wanted to shake hands at the end has immortalized them as champions of the gentleman’s game with India as the perpetual loser.” The false media outlets quoted the Australian greats.

The Sony Sports Network, the broadcaster for the event, doesn’t have Ponting as their commentary side for the competition, as it has been addressed: “These claims are completely fabricated. The ongoing Asia Cup 2025 is broadcast globally via the Sony Sports World feed, which provides the official commentary for all broadcasters. Ricky Ponting is not part of the Sony Sports commentary team for this tournament.”

Two Indian batters have made it into the list of the top five greatest-ever batters of the former Australia captain, Ricky Ponting, and neither of them is Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma. The former leader has also picked Brian Lara as the most skillful one he has ever played against, besides addressing two modern players from the Fab Four, including Joe Root and Kane Williamson.

Indian fans won’t be happy with no names of Kohli and Rohit, but interestingly, Ponting has avoided keeping an Australian player in the list in the form of Steve Smith or someone else. The former captain went with Sachin and Rahul as the two players, who ended their careers with 34357 and 24208 runs respectively.

See Also: [WATCH] Alastair Cook imitates Rishabh Pant's iconic paddle sweep shot

“Brian Lara was the most skilful batsman I played against, and when I was captain, he gave me more sleepless nights than anybody. Sachin was technically as good as anyone I’ve seen, along with Rahul Dravid; I’d put Joe in there now as well, and Kane Williamson.” Ponting expressed in The Times during a recent conversation.

Ricky Ponting keeps Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid in his top-five greatest batters

Even though Root is the current second leading Test getter, Ponting feels that Stokes can bring the big-game impact. He separately went with Jacques Kallis as the greatest cricketer he had seen. Ponting also hailed Root’s transformation of converting the 50s to 100s.

“Stokes is a hard one. Numbers don’t define him. It’s been about moments with him; he’s a situation player. When things get toughest, he’s been at his best. When you’re talking about the greats, you’ve got to talk about impact on games.” The Tasmanian batter, who is the fourth leading run-getter in international cricket with 27483 runs, claimed.

 “What he’s done the past five years is extraordinary. Look at the numbers: he’s got 13,500 runs. I rank players on how long they can stay at the top of their powers. You can be a great player for 30 to 40 games, but can you do it for 150 games?” Ricky Ponting concluded the conversation.

It was the second Ashes 2005 Test at Edgbaston in 2005. The excitement around the United Kingdom about the game was huge. Everyone had an eye on the Tests as Australia took a 0-1 lead in the opening fixture at Lord’s. The home side batted first and posted 407 runs on the board with several half-centuries in the first innings.

Australia also got several starts in the second innings, while Justin Langer ended with 82 runs, and Ricky Ponting, the leader, scored 61 runs. The Michael Vaughan-led side grabbed a 99-run lead before getting bundled out for just 182 runs in the third innings as Andrew Flintoff cracked 73 runs in 86 balls at a strike rate of 84.88.

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Then came the most famous over of the series from Flintoff. It was the 13th over of the fourth innings. Langer, the left-handed batter, pushed the very first ball of the over into the point region. The Lancashire all-rounder pulled the length back a little as it jagged back to the southpaw and disturbed the stumps.

Watch: Relive Andre Flintoff’s iconic Ashes 2005 over to dismiss Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer

The entire crowd went wild as the home side found its energy back. Ponting was the next batter at number three. He faced the first ball, which changed its direction and hurried on to the pads of the right-handed batter, as the umpire, Billy Bowden, shook his head. Flintoff kept the same line and length on the fourth ball as Ponting got an outside edge into the gully.

🗓️ On This Day in 2005…

𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 Freddie Flintoff over 🚀

Iconic. pic.twitter.com/MUD3UbtpSq

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 6, 2025

Suddenly, there was an incredible change around the ground. Ponting was lucky to get away on the fifth delivery as the ball hit his pad outside the off-stump. But he couldn’t do much on the sixth and last delivery of the over. Before that, it was a no-ball that the batter left outside the off stump.

On the last ball, Flintoff got the ball on the fifth stump line as the Tasmania batter went for a huge drive and ended up getting an outside edge on the bat. The England bowler ended with figures of 4/79 in 22 overs as the visitors were bundled out for 279 runs. England leveled the series with a victory by two runs.

It has been a general enquiry among many spectators of the game as to why Australia has always been one of the most successful sides across formats. Whether it comes to the 50-over, 20-over or the longest format of the game, Australia always find themselves at the top of the ladder, with incredible consistency from one ICC event to another. Even in bilateral series, they had been phenomenal with their performances.

The former captain of the side, Ricky Ponting, feels that the upbringing and growth of the players from the club level is so strong, and that’s the reason for them to do well in international cricket. It takes them so long to get into the first-class team before the national side.

See Also: [WATCH] Mohammed Siraj traps Ollie Pope LBW during ENG vs IND 5th Test at Kennington Oval

‘If you look at the facts, England wins more in England and Australia wins more in Australia. As far as it is in the game. I think the club cricket in Australia is hard. Six first-class teams (means) you have to do everything right at the club to get a first-class game. So, you've got to be the right player and character. With the teams, the cricket is much more competitive than what county cricket is.’ Ricky Ponting expressed on Sky Sports Cricket.

Watch: Ricky Ponting discusses why Australia produces better cricketers than England

‘Before you get a chance to play for your country, you have to build a solid upbringing and grounding to be ready to play international cricket. That’s probably the reason. But at the end of the day, whether you play at home or in England, you've got to bat, bowl, and field well. It’s that simple, but the hardest thing in our game.’ The Tasmanian batter added.

"Club cricket in Australia is hard" 🏏

Do Australia just produce better cricketers than England? 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/sCMyoWpisk

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 3, 2025

The veteran shed light on how this England side had built a strong core of players to do well in the upcoming away Ashes 2025/26 trip, which will be incredibly interesting to enjoy.

‘Some of England’s best batters have been in Australia, and they average around 20. You are not going to win games or series with that. And it’s the same for Australia. You will have challenges, and it sometimes becomes uncomfortable and unnatural to what you have been brought up to. The best players always find a way. Some of those teams that have won have been built over time. This England’s Bazball team is picked only to beat Australia in Australia, and I love that.’ Ricky Ponting included.

Batting has worked out for India in this five-match series in England, but even after eight innings at Old Trafford in Manchester, they have yet to find out their number three position in the batting order. Karun Nair batted at this position four times and managed 110 runs at an average of 27.50, while Sai Sudharsan got just 61 runs in the first innings of Manchester. 

In the last three series, they used multiple options at number three, including Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Paddikal, Nair, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, and many others. None of them was able to provide them the contribution they perhaps expected, like they got from Cheteshwar Pujara or Rahul Dravid in the past.

See Also: ENG vs IND 2025: Predicted match result for 4th Test in Manchester

‘For Sudharsan, it was all mental fatigue and tiredness. That’s why number three is such a tough place. Around the world, there are not many number three players who have produced consistent performances on the back day. You need to deal with a certain scenario or situation. It’s a difficult place to bat.’ Stuart Broad, the former pacer, shed light during a post-show on Sky Sports Cricket.

Watch: Stuart Broad and Ricky Ponting analyze India’s number 3 in ENG vs IND 4th Test in Manchester

Broad pointed out how the number three position around the world hasn’t contributed much. He reckoned that Sudharsan’s dismissal in the second innings of Manchester came only because of the mental fatigue. Ricky Ponting added a little more than that.

"Sudharsan is going to be good enough" 💪

Ricky Ponting & Stuart Broad discuss the number three batting position for India 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/haiLbiOHRO

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 27, 2025

‘It just creates internal pressure a youngster doesn’t need, looking over the shoulder. That was where it surprised me. They made a call in the first Test on Sudharsan and then went back to him. I wasn’t that young when I moved up to three. But it requires a bit of reassurance from the captain and coaches about how he goes. Ben Stokes has done it to Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley and kept backing them to get the match-winning knocks.’ Ponting addressed.

India finished the fourth day with 130 runs behind and eight wickets in hand. Both Shubman Gill and KL Rahul remained unbeaten at the close and will need to stay longer in the crease for India to end the game in a draw.