Australian legend Ricky Ponting believes that England veteran Joe Root could end his century drought in Australia, where the Ashes2025/26 will be held from November 21, 2025. Root has played 14 Tests Down Under, in which he accumulated 892 runs with nine fifties in 27 innings. In 2021, when England toured Australia for five Tests, Root emerged as the highest run-getter for his team with 322 runs in 10 innings of five matches at an average of 32.20 but couldn’t notch up a ton from his bat.
However, former Aussie skipper Ponting feels Root has the opportunity to rack up a Test hundred on Australian soil. "That's what it is, a mental thing for him this series more than anything else. His game is magnificent at the moment. He's got to get over that
little mental hurdle and get 100. And I actually think he will get that 100 this time around. I think he's better equipped now as a player than ever. Other times he's come here to Australia, he's had one or two little technical issues that on the extra bouncy wickets, the Australian fast bowlers have been able to exploit," remarked Ponting as quoted by ICC.
Joe Root’s sensational Test form
Joe Root has done a magnificent job for Englandin the last three years. He ended up as the highest run-scorer in the World Test Championship 2023/25 cycle, racking up 1968 runs in 40 innings of 22 matches. He also played an instrumental role in England’s victory in the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy played in New Zealand. The right-handed batter scored 218 runs in six innings of three games.
This year, the 34-year-old has played six Tests in which he hoarded 571 runs with three hundreds and a fifty in 10 innings. His form will be vital for England to win the Ashes in Australia after 15 years.