Joe Root equals Ricky Ponting's 41 centuries tally, just under 2000 runs away from Sachin Tendulkar’s world record

Joe Root hammered a century on day 2 of the fifth test of The Ashes 2025-26.

England Cricket Team batter Joe Root rocked the field in the fifth test of The Ashes 2025-26 on Monday (January 5), smacking a century on day 2. With his ton, he equalled former Australia captain Ricky Ponting’s record of 41 centuries in test cricket.

The encounter is underway at Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney. England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bat first; however, the visitors lost their top three batters cheaply. Root, batting at number four, scored 160 runs off 242 deliveries, reaching the three-figure mark off 146 deliveries.

With his ton, he helped the visitors to post 384 runs in first innings. Other than Root, Harry Brook (84) and Jamie Smith (46) lent a crucial hand in batting.

Joe Root equals Ricky Ponting’s record in test cricket

Notably, Root hammered his second ton in The Ashes 2025-26 and 41st in test cricket, equalling former Australian legend Ricky Ponting’s record for most centuries in the format. He is now only behind Sachin Tendulkar (51) and Jacques Kallis (45) in the list.

Moreover, he has also inched closer to Tendulkar’s tally for most runs in the longest format of the game, bringing it to under 2000 runs. While Tendulkar is the all-time leading run-scorer in test cricket with 15921 runs, Root holds the second place with 13,921 runs.

Root also hit a 150+ score for the 17th time in tests and takes the fifth spot in the list of batters with the most 150-plus knocks in the longest format. Tendulkar tops the list with 20 such knocks in his career.

Top 5 batters with most centuries in tests

• Sachin Tendulkar- 51
• Jacques Kallis- 45
• Ricky Ponting- 41
• Joe Root- 41
• Kumar Sangakkara- 38

Most 150+ scores in tests

• Sachin Tendulkar – 20
• Brian Lara – 19
• Kumar Sangakkara – 19
• Don Bradman – 18
• Joe Root – 17*

Most centuries in test cricket

• Sachin Tendulkar – 100
• Virat Kohli – 84
• Ricky Ponting – 71
• Kumar Sangakkara – 63
• Jacques Kallis – 62
• Joe Root – 60*

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