Joe Root ended his long wait for a Test century in Australia by reaching three figures on the first day of the second Ashes Test in Brisbane.
In his 30th innings, after all the pre-series talk, Root dug in as he has done so many times to keep England afloat in the day-night Test.
The 34-year-old came in with his team reeling at 5-2 in the third over, fell for two and saw wickets fall at the other end, but reached the 40th century of his illustrious Test career at the end of the evening session with the score of 256-7.
He reached the milestone in one swift movement, removed his helmet and greeted the crowd with a typically measured celebration.
“Even Australia will have to admit he’s a great player now,” his former England teammate Sir Alastair Cook said on TNT Sports.
“It’s a brilliant innings and just what England needed.
“He’s been excellent under pressure, as always. He’s England’s best batsman. He’s getting better and better.”
The century moves Root inside Australian great Ricky Ponting, who is third on the list of most hundreds in Test history.
But more importantly, it puts an end to any talk of whether Root can be considered an all-time great without a Test century in Australia.
“He’s fought very hard for this,” said BBC special test commentator Jonathan Agnew. “That will calm some critics.”
