Ashes 2025-26: Fans go gaga as Joe Root equals Ricky Ponting with a magnificent 41st Test ton vs Australia on Day 2 of Sydney Test

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Australia and England served up another absorbing chapter of Ashes theatre at the Sydney Cricket Ground as the fifth Test of the 2025-26 series rolled into a dramatic Day 2 under the pink-ball lights. On a surface offering just enough for the seamers but truer than earlier in the series, England rode a vintage Joe Root masterclass to post a formidable 384 in their first innings.​

Root lit up the Pink Test with an astonishing 160, his second hundred of the series and his 41st in Test cricket, drawing level with Australian legend Ricky Ponting on the all-time centuries list. The landmark arrived in classic Root fashion when he punched Michael Neser down the ground for two to reach three figures off 146 balls, prompting a roar from the SCG crowd as he clenched his fist, raised his bat, and kissed the England badge in a moment that encapsulated 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 felt like 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 the symmetry of him matching Ponting’s tally in Ponting’s own backyard, underlining just how far Root has climbed in the pantheon of Test batting greats.​

Root arrived with England wobbling at 57/3 after a lively new-ball burst from Mitchell Starc, Neser and Scott Boland, but quickly imposed calm with his immaculate balance, soft hands and surgical strike rotation. His 154-run stand with Harry Brook for the fourth wicket transformed the innings; Brook’s counter-attacking 84 off 97 balls, laced with six fours and a six, released pressure and forced Australia’s attack onto defensive lines. Even as rain, bad light and multiple interruptions truncated Day 1 at 211/3, Root returned on Day 2 with renewed focus, moving from 72 overnight to 150 in 226 balls before eventually falling to a sharp return catch by Neser for 160, denied a maiden double ton in this series by a piece of individual brilliance.​

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Sachin set the summit

Joe Root is climbing still some way to go#Ashes #Ashes2025

— Bella (@Boundary_Babe) January 5, 2026

MOST TEST CENTURIES BY THE FAB 4 (Jan 2026 Update): Joe Root – 41* (163 matches) 👑Steve Smith – 36 (123 matches)Kane Williamson – 33 (108 matches)Virat Kohli – 30 (123 matches) Root equals Ponting's tally with his latest Ashes masterpiece! The England run-machine is…

— Vikram Singh 🇮🇳🇮🇳 (@deora40676) January 5, 2026

Excellent 100 by Joe RootCame in at 51/2Score got reduced to 57/3Scored a brilliant 160Formed a crucial partnership with Harry Brook who also scored a brilliant 84

— Sashank (@sas_3343) January 5, 2026

🚨GAP OF 1984 RUNS ONLY🚨

Sachin Tendulkar – 15921 runs.

Joe Root – 13937 runs

— Ravi (@RaviWritess) January 5, 2026

24 TEST HUNDREDS IN ENGLAND4 TEST HUNDREDS IN WEST INDIES3 TEST HUNDREDS IN INDIA3 TEST HUNDREDS IN NEW ZEALAND3 TEST HUNDREDS IN SRI LANKA2 TEST HUNDREDS IN AUSTRALIA1 TEST HUNDRED IN SOUTH AFRICA1 TEST HUNDRED IN PAKISTAN

JOE ROOT STANDS AS THE GREATEST ENGLAND BATTER…

— Rahul Yadav (@RahulYadav61762) January 5, 2026

Joe Root keeps climbing the all-time ladder:

– More 150+ Test scores than Ricky Ponting and Mahela Jayawardene– Just 3 fewer than Sachin Tendulkar (most in Tests)– Only 1 fewer than Don Bradman– 2 fewer than Brian Lara and Kumar Sangakkara– Now sits 5th all-time for 150+…

— Vipin Tiwari (@Vipintiwari952) January 5, 2026

🏟 MOST TEST CENTURIES AMONG THE FAB FOUR

JOE ROOT – 41* FROM 163 MATCHESSTEVE SMITH – 36 FROM 123 MATCHESKANE WILLIAMSON – 33 FROM 108 MATCHESVIRAT KOHLI – 30 FROM 123 MATCHES#JoeRoot #SteveSmith #Ashes #Ashes2025 #ashes25 #AUSvENG

— Rahul Yadav (@RahulYadav61762) January 5, 2026

Joe Root's sublime 160 at the SCG – his 41st Test century, equaling Ponting & his second ton Down Under this series. We haven't talked enough about his genius. For me, he's one of the greatest to ever play this game. Pure class. #Ashes #JoeRoot"

— Manas Pisolkar (@ManasPisolkar) January 5, 2026

🗣️ Root can’t score Hundreds in Australia

Joe Root scored two Hundreds this Ashes with two different coloured balls 🥶

— Dinda Academy (@academy_dinda) January 5, 2026

Joe Root's masterclass at the SCG 🌟#JoeRoot #Ashes2025 #CricketTwitter

— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) January 5, 2026

England’s total of 384 felt even bigger in context given how bowler-dominated this Ashes has been, and it was built around meaningful contributions through the order once Root and Brook had laid the platform. Jamie Smith added a crucial 46, riding his luck early before finding fluency, while Will Jacks’ patient 27 in a 50-run stand with Root for the seventh wicket helped push England beyond 350 and frustrate Australia’s hopes of a quick wrap-up.​

The innings flowed in clear phases: early turbulence at 51/2, consolidation to 114/3 by lunch on Day 1, then acceleration through the afternoon as the Root–Brook partnership surged England past 200 and eventually 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 shortly after, Australia’s seamers were into their third and fourth spells and the pink ball had lost much of its bite, allowing Root to shepherd the tail and carry England to 384 in 97.3 overs.​

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