Ashes 2025-26: Fans go gaga as Joe Root equals Ricky Ponting with magnificent 41st Test ton against Australia on day two of Sydney Test



Australia And England served up another exciting chapter of Ashes theater at the Sydney Cricket Ground as the fifth test of the Series 2025-26 took place in a dramatic second day under the lights of the pink ball. On a surface offering just enough for seamers but truer than earlier in the series, England bowled a vintage Joe Racine masterclass in posting a formidable 384 in their first innings.​

Joe Root’s equals Ricky Ponting with his 41st Test century

Root lit up the Pink Test with an astonishing 160, his second hundred of the series and his 41st in Test cricket, tied with the Australian legend Ricky Ponting on the list of centuries of all time. The landmark arrived in classic Root fashion as he struck Michael Neser on the ground for two to reach three figures off 146 balls, eliciting a roar from the SCG crowd as he clenched his fist, raised his bat and kissed the England badge in a moment that summed up his status as the heartbeat of this team.

On a marquee Ashes stage and in the iconic Pink Test dedicated to the McGrath Foundation, Root’s innings seemed to be the centerpiece of the series’ narrative, especially given his long chase for centuries in Australia earlier in his career. Fans flooded social platforms hailing him and celebrating his symmetry matching Ponting’s tally in Ponting’s own backyard, highlighting how far Root has climbed in the pantheon of great Test batters.

Root arrived with England reeling at 57/3 after a sharp burst of new ball from Mitchell StarcNeser and Scott Bolandbut quickly imposed his composure with his immaculate balance, soft hands and surgical strike rotation. His 154-point stand with Harry Brook for the fourth wicket transformed the innings; Brook’s counterattack of 84 off 97 balls, laced with six fours and a six, eased the pressure and forced the Australian attack onto the defensive lines. Even though rain, poor light and multiple interruptions truncated the first day at 211/3, Root returned on day 2 with renewed focus, going from 72 overnight to 150 in 226 balls before finally falling to a sharp return from Neser for 160, denied a first double ton in this series by individual brilliance.​

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Here’s how fans reacted:

England’s 384 puts Australia under early pressure

England’s total of 384 seemed even more important in context given how bowler-dominated these Ashes were, and it was built around significant contributions through the order once Root and Brook laid the platform. Jamie Smith added a crucial 46, trying his luck early before finding control, while Will JacksThe patient 27 in a 50-run stand with Root for the seventh wicket helped push England past 350 and frustrate Australia’s hopes of a quick conclusion.​

The innings played out in clear phases: early turbulence at 51/2, consolidation at 114/3 by lunch on the first day, then acceleration throughout the afternoon as the Root-Brook partnership took England past 200 and finally 226/4 before Brook’s dismissal. By the time lunch arrived on Day 2 at 336/6, with Root on 138 and the second new ball taken soon after, the Australian seamers were into their third and fourth spells and the pink ball had lost much of its bite, allowing Root to guide the tail and take England to 384 in 97.3 overs.

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