Joe Root is one of the greatest Test batsmen of his generation, sitting second on the all-time Test run charts for England with 39 centuries.
However, there is one major blemish on his otherwise glittering career: an elusive Test century in Australia.
Root has played 14 Tests on Australian soil, averaging a respectable but uncharacteristic 35.68 with nine fifties but no three-figure score.
The upcoming Ashes series provides the former captain with potentially one final chance to erase that statistic and cement his legacy as an all-time great.
Despite his struggles down under, the Yorkshireman remains the betting favourite to be England's top run scorer in the 2025/26 Ashes at just 3.20 on Dafabet.
MORE: Who is the favourite to win the Ashes?
Joe Root's Australia record
The difference between Joe Root's overall career average of 51.29 and his Australian average of 35.68 is stark, a phenomenon often attributed to the hard, bouncy Australian pitches and the relentless attack from the home bowlers.
Former Australian opener David Warner previously made a cheeky dig at the English star's record. Root himself has admitted that he may have "wanted it way too much" in previous tours.
Root has been in sensational form recently, however, with three centuries against India this summer, and he will be hoping that his new, relaxed "Bazball" mentality will help him finally score that elusive century.
The one technical concern would be that Root's favoured shot often sees him dab down to third man but the bouncier surfaces in Australia can often lead to the shot being mis-timed or played too high on the bat, thus leading to him being caught in the gully region quite often.
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Will Joe Root actually score an Ashes century in Australia?
The biggest question for the upcoming Ashes series is not whether Joe Root can score a century, but whether the new environment will allow him to.
Root believes the experience he has accrued has made him "more ready for it" than ever before.
He has also credited the aggressive style of Harry Brook with making his life "a lot easier," stating that Brook's pressure on bowlers often means the opposition "stop trying to get you out".
The faith in Root's ability to finally break his duck is so strong that Australian legend Matthew Hayden has made a stunning public vow.
Hayden promised he would "walk nude around the MCG if Joe Root fails to score a Test century" in the series. This confidence, coming from the opposition camp, underscores the general feeling that the greatest technical batsman of his generation is finally set to conquer his final frontier.
Joe Root century breakdown Ashes by Ashes
| How many Test centuries Root had before each away Ashes series | |
|---|---|
| Before 2013/14 | 2 |
| Before 2017/18 | 13 |
| Before 2021/22 | 23 |
| Before 2025/26 | 39 |
Who has dismissed Joe Root the most in Test cricket?
One of the comments that Dave Warner made about Root was suggesting he needs to take the 'surfing board' of his front pad off as Josh Hazlewood has him covered whenever England go to Australia.
Hazlewood does have a very good record against the former England captain but he is not top of the list when it comes to the man who has dismissed him the most in Test cricket.
Worryingly, four of the top six players to dismiss Root in Test cricket are Australia's famous four-pronged attack of Hazlewood alongside captain Pat Cummins, as well as Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon.
| Player | Country | Innings bowled vs. Root | Root's average | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jasprit Bumrah | India | 29 | 30.27 | 11 |
| Pat Cummins | Australia | 31 | 26.00 | 11 |
| Josh Hazlewood | Australia | 31 | 31.40 | 10 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | India | 38 | 66.88 | 9 |
| Nathan Lyon | Australia | 37 | 54.87 | 8 |
| Mitchell Starc | Australia | 31 | 43.62 | 8 |
The leading run scorers in Test cricket history
In the next few years, Root will be looking to try and topple Sachin Tendulkar at the top of the all-time run scorers in Test cricket. It could well, should he continue at his current pace, he breaks the great Tendulkar's record on a tour of India in the early months of 2028.
| Player | Country | Average | Centuries | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 53.78 | 51 | 15,921 |
| Joe Root | England | 51.29 | 39 | 13,543 |
Joe Root centuries against Australia
Joe Root has hit multiple centuries against Australia at home in Test cricket, with his most recent being a spectacular unbeaten knock in the 1st Test of the 2023 series at Edgbaston a couple of years ago.
| Series | Match | Venue | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2nd Test | London (Lord's) | 180 |
| 2015 | 1st Test | Cardiff | 134 |
| 2015 | 4th Test | Nottingham | 130 |
| 2023 | 1st Test | Birmingham | 118* |
Cricket news and related links
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