England’s batting mainstay Joe Root struck his second century of the Ashes series on Monday, taking his overall tally to 41 Test hundreds and drawing level with Australian great Ricky Ponting in third place on the all-time list. The prolific right-hander reached the landmark with a couple off Michael Neser during a composed innings in the fifth and final Test against Australia in Sydney.The 35-year-old, who sits second on the all-time Test run-scorers’ list behind only India legend Sachin Tendulkar, smashed 11 fours in his 146-ball knock. Root’s masterclass guided England to 272 for 5 midway through the morning session on day two, having resumed the day on 72.
It was his second hundred of the series and his first with the red ball, following a sublime unbeaten 138 in the day-night Test in Brisbane that ended a long wait for a century in Australia after three previous Ashes tours.Root’s latest feat puts him alongside Ponting on the all-time list of Test centuries, with only Tendulkar (51) and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis (45) ahead of him. Making his Test debut in 2012, Root is featuring in his 163rd Test.
Most Test hundreds
51 – Sachin Tendulkar45 – Jacques Kallis41 – Ricky Ponting41 – Joe Root38 – Kumar Sangakkara
Multiple hundreds in an away Ashes series for England since 1994/95
3 – Michael Vaughan in 2002/033 – Alastair Cook in 2010/112 – Jonathan Trott in 2010/112 – Joe Root in 2025/26
Most Test hundreds since 2021
24 – Joe Root10 – Steven Smith10 – Kane Williamson10 – Harry Brook10 – Shubman Gill
