As England and Australia prepare for the much-awaited Ashes series starting in November, all eyes will be on England's experienced campaigner Joe Root.
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Root has arguably been the best batter in the red-ball format recently; however, one milestone that has eluded him is his failure to score a century in Australia.
Will he break that drought in the upcoming Ashes 2025 Test series?
What did Joe Root say about potentially scoring his first Test century in Australia?
While the Englishman has broken several batting records and is also the second-highest run-scorer in the history of Test cricket, he surprisingly still doesn't have a century in Tests in Australia.
When asked about this, Root remained excited about getting another opportunity to end the streak in 2025. He is also coming off a strong series against India.
The England batter finished the home series against India as the second-highest run scorer behind Shubman Gill. He scored 537 runs in 5 matches at an average of 67.12, including three centuries and a fifty.
"But I feel ready for it," Root said to Sky Sports in ending the century drought. "Big series are the ones you want to play in and contribute to
In the last four years since he last played in Australia, Root has scored more than 5700 runs and has consistently been amongst the top run-getters in the format year by year.
"I feel I am in a different place than when I last went out there. I haven't got the responsibility of captaincy and I am a lot more experienced. I have had a good couple of years coming in, and I have learned good lessons from my previous tours there as a batter and senior player," added Root
He has been the backbone of the English batting lineup, and he will once again hold the key to England's chances in the marquee series down under.
Ashes 2025/26 Schedule
The 2025/26 Ashes Test series is a part of the World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. Here is the full schedule for the five-match series:
| Fixture | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| AUS vs ENG 1st Test | Nov 21-25 | Perth Stadium |
| AUS vs ENG 2nd Test (D/N) | Dec 4-8 | The Gabba, Brisbane |
| AUS vs ENG 3rd Test | Dec 17-21 | Adelaide Oval |
| AUS vs ENG 4th Test | Dec 26-30 | Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| AUS vs ENG 5th Test | Jan 4-8 | Sydney Cricket Ground |
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