England’s hopes in the ongoing 2025-26 Ashes were given a major boost in Brisbane as Joe Root finally ended the one thing missing from his glittering career: a Test century in Australia. Joe Root stepped in and played a superb innings during a very difficult phase at the Gabba.
Conditions were tough from the start at the Gabba during the second Ashes Test between Australia and India. Mitchell Starc was in sublime form with the pink ball, and once the lights came on the ball began to swing and bounce sharply on the first day at the Gabba.
Joe Root revives England’s 2025-26 Ashes hopes in Australia
England were in deep trouble at 5/2 after Starc removed Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope for Ducks. Root came in with already exorbitant pressure. The former England captain had already arrived in Australia with the pressure of not scoring a Test century Down Under despite all his achievements.
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And then failures in both innings of the 2025-26 Ashes opener in Perth, including a duck, only made the criticism louder. For a player of Root’s class to go 16 Tests in Australia without a century was surprising and even a little embarrassing.
But in his 16th Test in Australia, Root finally ended the Test century drought in style after 12 years. He remained calm even as wickets fell around him and the Australian bowlers kept prodding him with difficult spells. Cameron Green troubled him with the rebound.
Joe Root ends 12-year wait, smashes Australia’s first Test century
On the other hand, Starc continued to attack him with pace, and every run was accompanied by pressure. Even Root also had some nervous moments in the 90s, but he stayed for his team. He built a game-changing 117-run partnership with Zak Crawley, whose 76 helped England settle.
After Crawley’s fall, Root struck up a 54-run partnership with Harry Brook and then got support from Ben Stokes. But it was Root who kept the scoreboard moving for most of the innings. Root scored his maiden Test century on Australian soil after 181 balls.
It was his first ever in Australia, his fifth against Australia in total and the 40th of his Test career. This also happened after 30 attempts to score a hundred in an away Ashes Test.
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Joe Root creates history at the Gabba after ending 12-year curse
His patience, discipline and class not only helped England fight back strongly in the ongoing day-night Test against Australia at The Gabba but also helped Joe Root create history.
With this knock, Root became the first batter to score 22 centuries in the ICC World Test Championship. Steve Smith is in second place with 13 centuries, followed by Marnus Labuschagne with 11 tons in the WTC.
Moreover, Root becomes the undisputed king of England for centuries after hitting his 59th international hundred with his final ton at the Gabba. He is now England’s leading creator of the century in international cricket. Root now sits well ahead of Alastair Cook (38), Kevin Pietersen (32), Graham Gooch (28) and Andrew Strauss (27) in this elite list.
Well, Root remains unbeaten on 135 off 202 balls, studded with 15 boundaries and a six, and has pushed England to 325/9 at stumps on the first day of the ongoing second Ashes Test against Australia at The Gabba. Starc shone with a six-wicket haul on the opening day with the pink ball.
