Joe Root Achieves First Ashes Century in Australia After Twelve-Year Wait

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Joe Root finally achieved his first Ashes century in Australia after 12 years and 15 test matches. He celebrated by removing his helmet, kissing the badge, and raising his bat to the crowd of 37,117 at the Gabba.

The Barmy Army, Australians, and neutrals all joined in singing his name. "Even Australians have to admit he is a great now," said former England captain Alastair Cook on TNT Sports.

Root's unbeaten 135 ended a drought dating back to 2013. He reached triple figures under lights with the pink ball during the day-night match at the Gabba. This milestone was one of the few missing from his cricket CV. Former England captain Michael Vaughan described it as "a technical masterclass from England's best player" on Australian TV.

Root's Journey to Success

Root arrived in Australia last month amid headlines calling him "Average Joe." Despite being the No. 1-ranked test batter, he had never won a test match or scored a century in an Ashes contest in Australia. Before this tour, his highest test score in Australia was 89, achieved during his fourth Ashes tour.

In the series opener in Perth, Root scored 0 and 8 in an eight-wicket loss, increasing pressure on his form. However, he turned things around with crucial partnerships: 117 with Zac Crawley (76), 54 with Harry Brook (31), and 44 with Ben Stokes. Root and Jofra Archer shared an unbroken 61-run stand, taking England to 325-9 at stumps.

Key Partnerships and Milestones

Root reached his half-century from 83 deliveries after edging Starc through the slips early on. His breakthrough century came off 181 balls after surviving two lbw reviews by Australia. Zac Crawley praised Root's innings as flawless, saying it was "a phenomenal knock" given the challenging conditions when Root first came in.

Root's century was his 40th in his 160th test match, making him the second-highest run-scorer in history with over 13,600 test runs, behind only Sachin Tendulkar. The England and Wales Cricket Board tweeted: "No doubt before. No doubt now. A true great of the game."

Reactions from Teammates and Rivals

Mitchell Starc took six wickets but couldn't claim Root's wicket. "I'm sure he'd be relieved to get that 100," Starc said. "He played fantastically well today and assessed the conditions, sucked up some pressure, and got the result by the end of the day."

Matthew Hayden, former Australian test opener, expressed relief that Root reached triple figures. Hayden had promised to run a nude lap around Melbourne Cricket Ground if Root's drought continued beyond this series. In a video message to England Cricket, Hayden congratulated Root: "It took you a while and there was no one that had more skin in the game than me, literally."

Root's innings began with England struggling at 5-2 after Starc's opening burst. He moved into the 90s for the first time in Australia with consecutive boundaries off Brendan Doggett. With Root on 98, Will Jacks was out for 19 against Mitchell Starc, ending their partnership at 251-7.

Root finally reached his century with a legside boundary against Scott Boland. This achievement brought immense relief to both him and his nervous teammates.

With inputs from PTI