Joe Root equals Ricky Ponting’s record for third-most Test centuries during Ashes final
The right-handed batter scored his 41st Test hundred at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Monday, achieving the milestone in his 163rd Test match.
The right-handed batter scored his 41st Test hundred at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Monday, achieving the milestone in his 163rd Test match.
The world’s top-ranked Test batter had endured three previous Ashes tours Down Under without tasting success, but that personal drought finally ended as England chased down a target of 175 in a dramatic two-day contest.
With the opening Test in Perth starting November 21, Root has again become a focal point in local discussions, especially given that he has yet to score a Test century in Australia.
Root heads into the series holding a firm lead at the top of the ICC Test batting rankings, but the seasoned campaigner has yet to conquer one of his biggest hurdles, performing consistently against Australia away from home.
While Root is winless in Tests against the Aussies away from home across 14 previous contests, it's the fact he has never scored a century on Australian shores that still concerns the 34-year-old heading into this year's tour.
Ben Stokes, who played a patient 176-run knock in the first innings, opened the batting in the second innings and scored 78 runs off just 57 balls.
For the Windies, Kraigg Brathwaite (75), Brooks and Roston Chase (51) cracked half centuries.
Although wicketkeeper Jos Buttler wasn't in the best of forms in the first test, it seems unlikely that he would be replaced in the second Test.
Former captain Nasser Hussain had earlier advised Denly to change his technique in order to score big runs or else he could lose his spot in the team.
The 47-year-old further said that he rates Stokes very highly and his impact on the field is a major one.
