England’s Joe Root hit his 41st Test hundred against Australia in the fifth Test of the ongoing Ashes series 2025/26 and equalled the record of former Australia captain Ricky Ponting’s tally of centuries in Test matches. Both now stand joint third on the list of players with the most Test hundreds. Sachin Tendulkar tops the list with 51 centuries, followed by South Africa’s Jacques Kallis with 45.
Most hundreds in Test matches
Sachin Tendulkar – 51
Jacques Kallis – 45
Ricky Ponting – 41
Joe Root – 41
Kumar Sangakkara – 38
Root came to the crease when England lost their second wicket for 51 runs on day one at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). He stitched a crucial partnership of 169 runs with Harry Brook to provide much-needed stability to the England innings. Root then added another 94 runs with Jamie Smith, further strengthening England’s position.
The 35-year-old played a very sensible innings and completed his second century of the series in 146 balls. However, he was eventually caught and bowled by Michael Neser for 160, an innings that included 15 fours.
On the other hand, Mitchell Starc dismissed Ben Stokes for the 14th time in Test cricket, the most by any bowler against the England captain.
Starc, who is enjoying a dream series, removed Stokes by generating extra bounce, forcing an edge that was taken by wicketkeeper Alex Carey. With this dismissal, the No. 2-ranked Test bowler surpassed Ravichandran Ashwin’s previous record of 13 dismissals against Stokes.
Eventually, England were bowled out for 384 in their first innings. In reply, Australia made a solid start, reaching 162/2 in 31 overs, with Travis Head unbeaten on 88.
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