Joe Root’s maiden Test century on Australian soil was more than just a long-awaited personal milestone — it was also the moment that saved Matthew Hayden from fulfilling one of the most unusual promises ever made ahead of an Ashes series. The former Australian opener had famously vowed to run nude around the Melbourne Cricket Ground if Root failed to score a hundred during the 2025–26 Ashes. With one flick off Scott Boland under the Brisbane lights, Root ensured Hayden’s dignity remained fully intact.
Root brought up his 40th Test century late on Day 1 at the Gabba in the pink-ball Test, glancing a delivery fine down the leg side before raising his arms to the roar of England fans. For years, Root had carried the burden of repeated near-misses in Australia — 16 Ashes Tests without a single hundred, a highest score of 89, and countless conversations around whether he could conquer conditions Down Under. This time, he delivered.
Hayden, who had turned his bold guarantee into a running joke throughout the build-up, reacted almost instantly once Root reached the landmark. In a video posted by the ECB, the Aussie great slipped into trademark humour:
“Congratulations, mate. Took you a while and there was no one who had more skin in the game than me — literally. Ten fifties and finally a hundred. You little ripper.”
The backstory to Hayden’s promise dates weeks before the series began. Appearing on the All Over Bar the Cricket podcast, Hayden expressed disbelief after Root was omitted from a panellist’s all-time Ashes XI. In playful frustration — and typical Aussie bravado — Hayden announced that if Root didn’t score a ton this summer, he would “walk nude around the MCG.” The clip went viral immediately, turning Root’s pursuit of a hundred into a quirky subplot of the Ashes.
But Root’s knock was about more than social media banter. England were reeling at 5 for 2 after a fiery opening burst from Mitchell Starc. Root steadied the innings, absorbed pressure, and rebuilt with clinical precision. His 181-ball century not only resurrected England’s batting but also shifted momentum on a crucial opening day.
And somewhere in Australia, Hayden — arguably the happiest man not playing in the Test — breathed a massive sigh of relief.
Root finally has the Ashes ton he chased for more than a decade. Hayden gets to keep his clothes on. And the 2025–26 Ashes already has a story for the ages.
