England batter Joe Root set an unwanted world record previously held by Kapil Dev after England’s defeat against Australia in the Gabba Test. Despite scoring her maiden century in Australia, England suffered an eight-wicket defeat, putting them 2-0 up in the 2025 Ashes series.Root reached a personal milestone by scoring his first century on Australian soil. His unbeaten 138 from 206 balls helped England post 334 in the first innings, setting the record for the highest score by a visiting team in a pink-ball Test in Australia.
The celebration was brief and Australia responded with an impressive performance. The hosts amassed 511 runs, establishing a substantial lead of 177 runs in the first innings. England’s second innings yielded only 241 runs, with Root contributing only 15. Australia easily reached the target of 65 runs in 10 overs.The Gabba defeat marked Root’s 16th match in Australia without a win, setting a new record for most matches played in an away country without a win. This surpassed Kapil Dev’s previous record of 15 matches without a win in Pakistan, where he recorded 10 draws and five defeats.Among visiting players in Australia, Daniel Vettori ranks second with 12 matches without a win, followed by Ben Stokes with 11 and Dawid Malan with 10.Root’s record in Australia shows 14 defeats in 16 matches. Only James Anderson and Alastair Cook have had more away defeats, with 15 defeats each in Australia. Both Jackie Hobbs and Sachin Tendulkar have recorded 14 defeats in Australia.The century at the Gabba came in Root’s 30th innings in Australia, making it the second longest wait for a century in a visiting country. Gordon Greenidge holds the record with 32 innings in Australia before scoring a century.Root has been a constant presence in England’s Ashes tours since 2013, appearing in 16 out of 17 matches. England’s last victory in Australia came in the 2011 Sydney Test, where they won the Ashes 3-1.Australia maintained their dominance at home while managing drawn series in England in 2019 and 2023. Under Root’s leadership, England suffered heavy defeats in the 2013-14 Ashes (5-0) and the 2017-18 and 2021-22 series (both 4-0).England’s current 17-match winless streak in Australia equals that of Pakistan (1955-present) and the West Indies (1997-2024). They are just one game away from New Zealand’s record 18 matches without a win (1985-2011) in Australia.
