Joe Root Ends Aussie Century Drought, Hayden Family Relieved

When Joe Root finally notched his first Test century on Australian soil — on Day 1 of the second Ashes Test at the Gabba, Brisbane — no one looked calmer than Matthew Hayden. The England star had long struggled to convert starts into hundreds Down Under.

Against expectations, Hayden didn’t begrudge Root the milestone; instead he admitted — with a wink — that he had “more skin in the game than you might think.” The weight of this statement stemmed from a bold, light-hearted promise Hayden made ahead of the series.

In a candid moment on a podcast ahead of the Ashes, Hayden vowed that if Root again failed to score a century in Australia, he would walk naked around the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). As hundreds of fans (and pundits) questioned whether Root’s drought would ever end, the stakes — albeit humorous — felt real for the former Australian opener. When Root crossed the three-figure threshold off the bowling of Scott Boland, relief washed over Hayden — and not just him.

A Daughter’s Humorous Thank-You

Perhaps no one was more relieved than Hayden’s daughter, Grace Hayden. In the immediate aftermath of Root’s big innings, she took to Instagram Stories to express her amusement and relief with a cheeky caption:

“Root, thank you, you’ve saved all our eyes.”  

Her lighthearted jab underscored how much pressure—at least in jest—had been riding on Root’s shoulders. She had previously pleaded publicly for him to break the jinx, and apparently, that gesture spared the Hayden family from some comical but cringe-worthy consequences.

Meanwhile, Hayden himself praised Root in a video message — congratulating him and acknowledging how much had been riding on this moment. “Took you a while,” he said, “but no one had more skin in the game than me — literally.” His playful admission, coming after years of speculation around Root’s Australian record, summed up the mix of vindication and good-humored relief that the century delivered.  

On-Field Redemption and Team Effort

Root’s century was not just a personal milestone — it also provided a strong foundation for England cricket team on Day 1 of the pink-ball Test. At one point early in England’s innings, the hosts looked poised to bundle the visitors out for under 275. But thanks to a gutsy and aggressive final half-hour — driven by Root and Jofra Archer — the England side recovered to post 325/9. Root’s unbeaten 135 (from 202 balls, featuring 15 boundaries and a six) silenced critics of his prior failures Down Under.  

Meanwhile, Australia’s bowling attack, despite being bolstered by Mitchell Starc, found itself unable to finish the job. In the absence of mainstays Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, Starc was brought in as the pace spearhead and still managed a six-wicket haul.