Joe Root has finally delivered what England fans have been waiting for over the past 12 years. The veteran batter scored his first-ever Test century on Australian soil. In the second Ashes Test at the Gabba in Brisbane, Root played a brilliant, composed innings to reach three figures in the first innings of the day-night match played with the pink ball.

This century has come in Root’s 16th Test and 30th innings in Australia. Before this knock, he had scored nine half-centuries in the country but had never managed to convert one into a hundred—something that often remained a major talking point in his career. This time, however, Root stood firm and turned a strong start into a memorable milestone.

Joe Root’s long-awaited dream achieved in 181 balls
Root brought up his century in 181 deliveries. This ton is his 40th in Test cricket and takes him past Kumar Sangakkara on the list of players with the most Test centuries. Root now stands just behind Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, and Sachin Tendulkar in the all-time rankings. Ponting has 41 Test centuries, Kallis 45, and Tendulkar tops the chart with 51.