In a dramatic turn of events at the Gabba, England's batting maestro Joe Root not only shattered a decade-long personal milestone but also inadvertently saved former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden from an extremely awkward public promise. Root's magnificent, unbeaten 135 on the opening day of the pink-ball Ashes Test finally saw him register a century on Australian soil, a feat that had eluded him for four previous tours.
A Decade of Wait Ends in Brisbane
Joe Root's patient and fluent innings marked his first Test hundred in Australia after a long struggle spanning 16 matches and 30 innings. The knock brought immense stability to England's innings, which finished the day at 325 for 9. This monumental century is Root's 40th in Test cricket, placing him just one behind the legendary Ricky Ponting (41) in the all-time list, with only Sachin Tendulkar (51) and Jacques Kallis (45) ahead of him.
The Viral Bet That Almost Backfired
The loudest cheer for Root's achievement, however, might have come from the Hayden household. Prior to the series, Matthew Hayden had jokingly vowed to "walk naked around the MCG" if Joe Root failed to score a hundred during the Ashes. As Root inched closer to the three-figure mark, the tension was palpable, not just in the England dressing room but presumably in Hayden's living room.
The moment Root clipped Scott Boland for a single to reach his hundred, social media erupted. The spotlight was instantly stolen by Hayden's daughter, Grace. She posted a hilarious selfie on her Instagram story with the caption: "Root, thank you, you've saved all our eyes." The post went viral, adding a layer of comedy to Root's serious cricketing achievement.
Hayden's Relieved Congratulations
A clearly relieved Matthew Hayden was quick to share a congratulatory video, which was posted by England Cricket on X (formerly Twitter). In the video, Hayden laughed off his own wager and praised Root's perseverance. "Congratulations mate on a hundred here in Australia. Took you a while and there was no one that had more skin in the game than me, literally," Hayden quipped. He added, "I was backing you for a hundred in a good way. So congratulations, ten fifties and finally a hundred. You little ripper mate. Have a beauty and bloody enjoy it."
While the day saw Australia making surprising team selections, including resting Nathan Lyon for Michael Neser, the narrative was firmly dominated by Root's historic knock and the hilarious social media fallout from Hayden's bold bet. For Joe Root, it was the culmination of years of effort. For the Hayden family, it was a national crisis of embarrassment, deftly averted by an English batsman's brilliance.
