Ashes 2025-26: Joe Root equals Ricky Ponting's tally with 41st Test hundred

England's batting mainstay in Tests, Joe Root, brought up his 41st Test hundred on Monday, January 5, to equal Ricky Ponting on the chart of players to score the most Test centuries. The former England captain began his innings at 72 on day two of the ongoing fifth and final Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) and reached the three-figure mark off 146 deliveries with the help of 11 fours.

Root's marathon innings saw him finish with 160 off 242 balls as he spent 398 minutes in the middle. He was the second-last batter dismissed for the Three Lions and played a pivotal role in powering them to 384.

By equaling Ponting, Root now has the third-most number of Test hundreds and is only behind two other legendary names. Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for the most Test hundreds (51), while South African legend Jacques Kallis is second on the list with 45 Test tons.

Players with the most Test centuries

Joe Root breaks the hoodoo down under

Root had plenty to prove in the lead-up to the Ashes down under. Before the series, Root's highest score in Tests in Australia was 89, which he had registered at the Gabba in December 2021.

However, he scored an unbeaten 138 during the first innings of the second Test in the ongoing series at the Gabba to bring up the three-figure mark that had eluded him on previous tours.

Root's Test record in Australia still doesn't come anywhere close to his overall red-ball record. He has aggregated 1286 runs in 19 games at an average of 38.96, including two centuries and nine half-centuries.