Joe Root’s first Test century in Australia saves Matthew Hayden from his bold statement. The Australian legend congratulated Root.
Joe Root’s long wait to score a century on Australian soil has finally ended. Root brought up a brilliant hundred on the very first day of the Brisbane Test. This is his first century in Australian and the 40th of his Test career. Root’s century has certainly increased Australia’s concerns, but former Australian batsman Matthew Hayden can now breathe a sigh of relief.
Before the start of the 2025-26 Ashes, former Australian opener Matthew Hayden had said that if Root failed to score a century during the Ashes series, he would run naked across the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Root’s century has saved Hayden from that embarrassment.
After Root’s hundred, Hayden congratulated him on his X, saying, “G’day Joe, congratulations, mate. On a hundred here in Australia, took you a while and there was no one that had more skin in the game than me, literally. I was backing you for a hundred in a good way, congratulations. Ten fifties and finally a hundred, you little ripper mate, have a beauty and bloody enjoy it.”
Last week, on the All Over Bar Cricket podcast, Hayden expressed disbelief that Root hadn’t been included in the panelists’ all-time Ashes XI. In a mix of anger and ostentation, he vowed to walk around Melbourne naked if Root didn’t score a century in this Ashes. Hayden’s statement became a topic of discussion.
Given Root’s past record in Australia, social media users also began commenting on Hayden’s bold statement.
Root, who had gone without a century in his last 15 Tests in Australia, finally broke the drought in his 16th Test. He remained unbeaten on 135 at stumps on Day 1 at the Gabba, a challenging venue for batting. His century helped England reach 325/9 at the end of the opening day’s play.
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