BRISBANE: England’s premier batter Joe Root finally ended his long wait for a Test century on Australian soil with a fighting hundred on day one of the second Ashes Test at The Gabba on Thursday.
Coming into the contest under heavy scrutiny after twin failures in Perth, where England were bundled out inside two days, the former captain delivered a statement knock under pressure.
He walked in with his side in early trouble at 5-2 after a hostile opening burst from Mitchell Starc and immediately shifted the momentum with a composed, authoritative display.
Root rebuilt the innings with a crucial 117-run stand alongside opener Zak Crawley, who contributed 76, before continuing the fight almost single-handedly as wickets fell regularly at the other end.
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The milestone moment arrived when Joe Root drove Scott Boland to the rope to bring up his 40th Test century, his first in Australia.
With that effort, the right-hander became only the fourth batter in history to reach the 40-century mark, joining an elite club featuring Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and Sachin Tendulkar.
He has now scored Test centuries in eight of the ten countries he has played in.
However, despite his brilliance, England’s lower order crumbled soon after the hundred, with two quick strikes leaving the centurion still standing in a lone battle.
As of this writing, England have scored 292-9, with Root (117) and Jofra Archer (17) at the crease.
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