Joe Root, England’s batting mainstay, has drawn level with Australian great Ricky Ponting by scoring his 41st Test century. The landmark knock came on Day 2 of the fifth and final Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, further underlining Root’s stature among the modern greats of the game.

It was Root’s second hundred of the series, a knock that helped England surge past the 300-run mark after opting to bat first. Resuming the day on an overnight score of 72*, Root carried on from where he left off, anchoring the innings with authority and composure.

England had been in early trouble at 57/3 before Root and Harry Brook staged a remarkable recovery. The pair added 169 runs for the fourth wicket, with Brook contributing a fluent 84, as England ended Day 1 on 211/3. After Brook’s dismissal, Root stitched together another crucial partnership, adding 94 runs with Jamie Smith, who chipped in with a valuable 46.

Root reached his century off 146 deliveries, becoming only the second batter in the series, after Australia’s Travis Head, to score two hundreds in the ongoing Ashes. The record for the most Test centuries remains with Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar, who finished his career with 51, followed by South Africa’s Jacques Kallis on 45. Root and Ponting now jointly occupy third place with 41 centuries each.

Remarkably, Root had not scored a single Test hundred in his previous Ashes tours of Australia. However, he has now registered two centuries in five matches during the current series, marking a significant turnaround in his fortunes Down Under.

Playing his 163rd Test, Root has crossed 13,900 runs in the longest format at an average exceeding 52. Only Tendulkar, with 15,921 runs, has scored more Test runs overall. Root has also amassed 66 half-centuries in his Test career.

His Ashes record continues to impress, with over 2,800 runs in the historic rivalry at an average of 41-plus, including six centuries and 18 fifties. On Australian soil alone, Root has accumulated 1,264 Ashes runs at an average close to 40, featuring two hundreds and nine half-centuries.

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