Joe Root has created history at the Gabba, bringing up his first-ever Test century on Australian soil, a landmark that had eluded him for over a decade. The England great reached the milestone in his 30th Test innings in Australia, finally completing the one achievement missing from his glittering red-ball career.
Root reached three figures in style, punching Scott Boland for a boundary to bring up his 40th Test hundred and his maiden ton in Australia, doing it under the lights in a pink-ball Test — one of the toughest formats to bat in. Having scored nine fifties and a highest of 89 in his previous 29 innings in Australia, Root’s century today marks a long-awaited breakthrough.
This century also places him in a unique statistical group. Root now joins some of the players who needed the most innings to score their maiden Test hundred in Australia:
Most innings to maiden 100 in Australia
• 41 – Ian Healy
• 36 – Bob Simpson
• 32 – Gordon Greenidge / Steve Waugh
• 30 – Joe Root
Root becomes the latest entrant into this list, underlining how difficult batting in Australia has been historically, even for some of the greatest players in the world.
With England under pressure after early wickets, Root’s hundred has not only steadied the innings but also reshaped the narrative of the match. The Gabba crowd witnessed what many thought might never happen — Joe Root finally raising his bat to celebrate a Test century in Australia.
England will now hope their most prolific modern batter converts this into a match-defining knock as they chase momentum in the 2nd Ashes Test.