In the ongoing final Ashes test, England veteran batter Joe Root equalled Australian legend Ricky Ponting’s record for the third-highest number of Test centuries in international cricket.
The right-handed batter scored his 41st Test hundred at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Monday, achieving the milestone in his 163rd Test match. Ponting had reached the same mark in his 168th Test.
Ponting finished his illustrious career with 13,378 runs in 168 Tests at an average of 51.85, including 41 centuries and 62 half-centuries.
Root reached the three-figure mark off 146 deliveries during England’s first innings on Day 2 of the Sydney Test. It was his second century of the ongoing Ashes series, having earlier scored a hundred in the Brisbane Test. With this knock, Root has now registered 24 Test centuries since 2021, the most by any batter in that period.
On the all-time list of most Test hundreds, Root now trails only Jacques Kallis (45) and Sachin Tendulkar (51).
Root eventually ended his innings on 160 off 242 balls, after being dismissed by Australian bowler Michael Neser. The England batter currently has 13,937 runs in 163 Tests and 297 innings and is closing in on the 14,000-run milestone in the format.
At the close of Day 2, England posted 384 runs in 97.3 overs in their first innings. In response, Australia reached 166 for 2 in 34.1 overs, with Travis Head unbeaten on 91 and Marnus Labuschagne contributing 48.
The opening day of the Test was heavily disrupted due to poor light and bad weather. Play was delayed until 2:55 pm before being abandoned around 5 pm, leading to frustration among players and officials.
Speaking ahead of Day 2, Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Greenberg admitted the situation was particularly deflating.
“I share your frustration. There are a lot of things that frustrate me in cricket, but bad light is one of them. Yesterday, maybe more so than ever, with a full house and millions watching on TV,” Greenberg told SEN Cricket.
“I get frustrated that we don’t have a solution to this problem. We’ve got to find a better way in cricket where we show greater willingness and intent to stay on the field and get play going,” he added.