Joe Root walked into the second Test at the Gabba carrying a decade-old gap in his numbers.
Across four Ashes tours to Australia, he had managed runs, fights, near-misses, but never a hundred. On Thursday night in Brisbane, under lights, he finally closed that chapter.
Root, the No. 1-ranked batter in Test cricket, reached his first Ashes century on Australian soil and ended a 15-Test wait stretching back to 2013.
The moment came in the first night session of the match, a calm response to an eight-wicket loss in Perth where he scored 0 and 8.
Former England captain Alastair Cook told TNT Sports: “Even Australians have to admit he is a great now.”
Root’s innings gathered pace after the dinner break. He was 88 not out at drinks, working through the Australian attack without fuss. A boundary off Brendan Doggett pushed him into the 90s for the first time in Australia.
The next ball produced another four, taking him to 96.
There was a brief pause at 98 when Will Jacks fell for 19, chasing a wide delivery from Mitchell Starc. Their 40-run stand ended and England slipped to 251-7, but Root stayed anchored.
The century arrived through a legside boundary against Scott Boland. Root kissed the badge on his helmet, raised his bat, and took in a milestone that had followed him across tours.
The England and Wales Cricket Board posted on X: “No doubt before. No doubt now. A true great of the game.” It was his 40th Test century in his 160th match, an addition to a record that already places him as England’s second-highest run-scorer.
