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BRISBANE: England ace batter Joe Root surpassed former Pakistan batter Asad Shafiq’s record of the highest individual score against Australia in a pink-ball Test.
Shafiq, who retired in 2023, hit 137 during Pakistan’s tour of Australia in 2016 in a day/night Test.
Notably, Faf du Plessis, who is set to feature in the forthcoming PSL 11, also scored 118* in Adelaide back in 2016.
However, earlier today, Root shattered the long-standing record with an unbeaten 138 during day two of the second Ashes Test, playing a major role in bringing England’s total to 334.
For the unversed, Joe Root ended his long wait for a Test century on Australian soil with a fighting hundred on day one of the second Ashes Test at The Gabba on Thursday.
Coming into the contest under heavy scrutiny after twin failures in Perth, where England were bundled out inside two days, the former captain delivered a statement knock under pressure.
He walked in with his side in early trouble at 5-2 after a hostile opening burst from Mitchell Starc and immediately shifted the momentum with a composed, authoritative display.
Root rebuilt the innings with a crucial 117-run stand alongside opener Zak Crawley, who contributed 76, before continuing the fight almost single-handedly as wickets fell regularly at the other end.
The milestone moment arrived when Joe Root drove Scott Boland to the rope to bring up his 40th Test century, his first in Australia.
With that effort, the right-hander became only the fourth batter in history to reach the 40-century mark, joining an elite club featuring Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and Sachin Tendulkar.
He has now scored Test centuries in eight of the ten countries he has played in.
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