England’s Joe Root is yet to score an Ashes hundred in Australia, something the local media were quick to remind him of as he landed in the country for this winter’s series.
Ahead of the first Test in Perth from Friday, Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain looks at why Root is in a great position to break that duck, why a century in Australia may have eluded him so far, and what is really fuelling the batter ahead of his fourth Ashes tour…
Root seems in a really good place at the moment, clearly enjoying playing with and for his great mate Ben Stokes. His game is in very good order and has been for a very long time.
He hasn’t had a period where he has struggled for runs and throughout the last couple of years especially, he has taken that consistency to new levels.
Root’s highest score in Tests in Australia is the 89 he struck in Brisbane during the 2021/22 series
I remember the days when people used to talk about Root not converting 70s and 80s but those days are gone. He converts scores into hundreds, big hundreds.
He does all of that with a smile on his face and is a joy to watch; so pleasing on the eye, such a wonderful touch player. And above all that, he is a great ambassador for the game.
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Root paid a moving tribute to the late Graham Thorpe after scoring his his 39th Test ton, donning a headband and pointing to the sky to honour his mentor and fellow England great
An example of that came last summer when he paid tribute to Graham Thorpe by putting on the headband after scoring a century in the Thorpey tribute Test against India at The Oval.
Why is Root yet to score a hundred in Australia?
Root has been a machine throughout his career but the series coming up is what everyone has highlighted as he is yet to score an Ashes hundred in Australia, so why is that?
Firstly, he is playing against a side who have had a great bowling attack – the quartet of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon would be up there with some of the best, and they are backed up well by Scott Boland.
Also, a shot Root plays in England and around the world is that run-down to third man with soft hands, much like New Zealand’s Kane Williamson.
That gets him a lot of runs but in Australia, with the extra bounce, he has nicked off a bit as the ball does carry even if he plays late and with soft hands. He has been a bit vulnerable in that corridor of fourth and fifth stump.
Overall in Tests in Australia and England, Root has been dismissed 11 times by Cummins, who will miss at least the first game of this series through injury.
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Australian cricket journalist Adam Collins discusses England’s chances of victory in the first Ashes Test with home seamers Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins ruled out
Sometimes the speed gun for a seamer can say one thing but because of their skill, the length they bowl and the late movement they get, they rush you and seem even quicker.
Cummins is quick anyway but bowls the right lengths to Root, not letting him sit on the back foot and bringing both edges into play. If you look at the dismissals you will see nick-offs but also deliveries nipped back to get him bowled and lbw.
Root has also had the extra responsibility of captaincy the last two times in Australia and especially in that 2021/22 series he had a lot to deal with in the Covid era.
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England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick has backed Root to perform in Australia, saying his game has gone to the ‘next level’
If you speak to England MD Rob Key, he was amazed at all the stuff Joe had to do on that trip with problems on and off the field.
When results then start going against you and the wheels come off, it weighs you down as a player, as does coming out to bat at 20-2. Hopefully he won’t be doing that in this series.
Root ‘won’t care one bit’ about newspaper headlines
When Root landed in Australia this rime around, we had the “Average Joe” headline from the West Australian newspaper but he won’t care about that one bit. He just wants to win The Ashes for his mate Stokes, win for this regime. That’s all that will be fuelling him.
That elusive away Ashes ton people talk about and England winning are related.
If the team are to regain The Ashes, you’d think Root will have to have a stellar series, like Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith for Australia. But the hundred thing is overplayed, overrated.
He would love to get it, and if he did it in Perth in the first Test it would put an end to all the chat, but it won’t be the end of the world for him if he doesn’t.
He just wants runs every time he goes out to bat. That’s what has made him the machine he is. He will have the same mindset this time and will know it is vital that he does get runs.
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Speaking to Sky Sports recently, Root said he is in a’ different place’ ahead of this winter’s Ashes series
So, will Joe get that hundred?
Perhaps. Probably. But if he gets three hundreds and England lose The Ashes or he gets a load of 90s and England win The Ashes, I know which one I’d prefer.
The story in the weeks ahead is about England winning more Test matches than Australia – and Root getting a hundred will obviously help that. So let’s hope he does and that England win.
Ashes series in Australia 2025-26
All times UK and Ireland
First Test: Friday November 21 – Tuesday November 25 (2.30am) – Optus Stadium, PerthSecond Test (day/night): Thursday December 4 – Monday December 8 (4.30am) – The Gabba, BrisbaneThird Test: Wednesday December 17 – Sunday December 21 (12am) – Adelaide OvalFourth Test: Thursday December 25 – Monday December 29 (11.30pm) – Melbourne Cricket GroundFifth Test: Sunday January 4 – Thursday January 8 (11.30pm) – Sydney Cricket Ground
