Less than two weeks after being dismissed as a “dud” Down Under, Joe Root broke a decade-old drought with his first Test century in Australia on Thursday, breathing life into England’s Ashes campaign at the Gabba.
Root walked off unbeaten on 135 from 202 balls, guiding England to 325 for nine at stumps on day one of the second Test and offering the sharpest possible response to the Australian press that had mocked his record.
His arrival before the Perth opener was met with derision in local newspapers that seized on his failure to score a Test hundred in Australia. Those headlines grew louder when he fell cheaply twice to Mitchell Starc in the series opener, which England lost inside two days.
He reached Brisbane carrying 10 fifties from 16 Ashes Tests in Australia but had no three-figure score. His closest attempt came four years ago at the Gabba, when he was dismissed for 89 by Cameron Green with a nick behind that triggered a collapse and another heavy defeat.
The West Australian newspaper went further than most, branding England’s leading Test run scorer a “dud Root Down Under” and dubbing him “average Joe”. Although Root had amassed more than 900 runs in Australia, his average of 33.33 was repeatedly used as ammunition.
That narrative shifted dramatically once he brought up his century in his 30th innings in Australia, 4,395 days after his first. The same paper splashed a picture of Root celebrating across its front page with the headline “He’s not a bad Root after all” and conceded “Average Joe finally scores big in Australia.” The publication even described him as “England’s greatest batter” and, with a hint of irony, a “generational talent who has long been praised, embraced and adored by supporters and media alike Down Under”.
Root had flagged before the tour that he felt better equipped for the challenge. Speaking to the UK’s Daily Mail, he said: “How I prepare now is different to how I would have done 10 years ago. I’m a lot more mentally focused. I’ve clearly played against a lot of their guys now, know how they operate, know what they’re likely to try to bring to the series.”
His century arrived in testing circumstances. England slumped to five for two, and Root, dropped on two, had to anchor the innings from a position of real jeopardy. His control and decision-making drew admiration throughout the cricket world.
“It is a brilliant innings and just what England needed,” Alastair Cook told TNT Sports. “He’s been superb under pressure as always. He is England’s best batsman ever. He just gets better and better.” Cook added: “Even Australia will have to admit he’s a great now.”
Zak Crawley echoed the praise on BBC Test Match Special, saying: “Really good day. Unbelievable day for Joe. He has had that coming for a long time. Probably the best player I have we played with and against. Sometimes you don’t get the rub of the green, but he didn’t need the rub of the green. He just played a flawless knock. He made it look effortless. He has worked so hard on his game and he is a brilliant player. We are so chuffed and thrilled to bits for him.”
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