England’s veteran batsman, Joe Root, has achieved another historic milestone in the fifth and final Test of the Ashes series, being played at the iconic SCG ground in Sydney.
Sports News: England has strengthened its grip on the match by the end of the first session on the second day of the fifth and final Ashes Test being played at the SCG in Sydney. With a magnificent century from experienced batsman Joe Root, England has scored 336 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their first innings by lunch.
During this, Joe Root not only scored a brilliant century but also equaled a record of Australian legend Ricky Ponting. His eyes are now set on breaking the record of great batsman Sachin Tendulkar, which is leading him towards establishing a new milestone.
England’s Strong Hold in Sydney Test
On the second day of the Ashes Test, England resumed their first innings from a score of 211/3. Joe Root and Harry Brook were at the crease, who batted with patience and confidence against the Australian bowlers. A crucial partnership of 169 runs between the two gave stability to England’s innings. Australia got their first major breakthrough through Mitchell Starc, who dismissed Harry Brook in the 48th over.
Brook played a useful innings of 84 runs. Immediately after, Starc sent England captain Ben Stokes back to the pavilion without scoring a run. This was the 14th time Starc has dismissed Stokes in Test cricket.
Joe Root’s 41st Test Century
Despite the wickets falling consistently, Joe Root did not lose his composure. He joined hands with wicketkeeper-batsman Jamie Smith to build the innings further. Smith maintained the run rate with aggressive batting, while Root continued to anchor the innings in his natural style. Joe Root completed his 41st Test century on the first ball of the 60th over. This is his second century in the ongoing Ashes series.
With this achievement, Root has equaled Ricky Ponting (41) for the third-most centuries in Test cricket. Only Jack Kallis (45) and Sachin Tendulkar (51) are ahead of him. Notably, this is Joe Root’s 24th Test century since 2021, which is the most by any batsman during that period.
As the news was written, England had scored 370 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 89 overs. Joe Root has also crossed 150 runs during this time. With this, he has surpassed Ricky Ponting and Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardene in terms of scoring 150+ in Test cricket.
Record of Scoring 150+ in Test Cricket
- 20 – Sachin Tendulkar
- 19 – Brian Lara
- 19 – Kumar Sangakkara
- 18 – Don Bradman
- 17 – Joe Root*
- 16 – Mahela Jayawardene
- 15 – Ricky Ponting
Joe Root is now second in the list of highest run-scorers in Test cricket. After a brilliant performance in the Sydney Test, he has reduced the gap between him and Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 runs) to less than 2,000 runs. Cricket experts believe that Sachin’s historic record could also be challenged in the coming years, given the consistency and fitness with which Root is scoring runs.
