Joe Root and the elusive Ashes century

Gareth Bland | 6:12 p.m. GMT December 13, 2024

The nature of top-flight sport is such that it is perhaps predictable that Joe Root’s overhaul of Sir Alastair Cook’s English record of Test centuries should lead many commentators to focus on the supposed Achilles heel of Yorkshireman at Test level: his record against Australia. Specifically, what concerns the skeptics is the Dore-born maestro’s record in Australia itself. An overall record of 40.46 against Australia from 34 Tests includes 14 matches Down Under where Root is yet to score a century and has an average of 35.68. Root’s record against the other established Test nations – India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies – is enviable and serves as statistical proof of his unquestionable class.

The spotlight on Joe Root’s record against Australia is a natural by-product of an intense Ashes rivalry. However, compared to the track record of one of his fellow club members ‘The Big Four’ in Kane Williamson, the one relative blemish in Root’s track record seems less striking than it might otherwise appear.

Root’s current assessment comes as part of a year-long battle ahead of another Anglo-Australian clash, which begins in November 2025. Former Australian left-hander Darren Lehmann and – unsurprisingly – Ian Chappell, a a man rarely short of a cricketing opinion, weighed on Root. Lehmann said Root should not be considered an all-time great since he is yet to take a Test in Australia and even placed the Yorkshireman a rung below Williamson and Virat Kohli. Chapelli, meanwhile, was full of praise for the former England captain, saying: “Root was born to run. He is a joy to watch, as he balances solid technique with the desire to focus at every opportunity.“.

Technically, however, Chappell observed a chink in Root’s armory that might explain his less than flattering record on Australian pitches, arguing “the most worrying statistic in Australia is the number of times it is caught. The keepers had a boon as they closed Root’s edges ten times in 27 innings. While he might retort by saying “you have to be good enough to surprise them”, it suggests he needs to re-evaluate the extra bounce provided by Australian pitches.

Aside from the lack of centuries, it is worth noting that Root scored nine half-centuries against the Australians. Compared to Kane Williamson, Root’s overall record against the Australians is superior – 40.46 compared to the New Zealander’s average of 36.95. Against India, Williamson’s record is considerably lower, averaging 37.86 per 20 runs less than Root’s 58.03, while in a head-to-head against the country of Otherwise, Root averages 54.06 compared to Williamson’s 39.62 against England.

Against South Africa, West Indies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the Kiwi has the statistical advantage over the Yorkshireman. However, an average of 62.82 for Williamson against South Africa and 46.53 for the Englishman against the same opposition doesn’t really bother Root. Neither are direct comparisons with Pakistan (66.04 and 49.34), Sri Lanka (74.02 and 62.54) and West Indies (60.62 versus 56.03).

Where Williamson has a clear advantage is in his accumulation of two Test hundreds against the Australians. As for Ian Chappell’s thoughts on Root’s adaptability to Australian surfaces, the New Zealander is on the other hand recognized for having a very specific approach, quite distinct from his peers. Avoiding an exaggerated thrust in the forward thrust, Williamson’s initial movement is firm but not as pronounced as that of his contemporaries. The ability to play the ball late is also essential.

Ricky Ponting observed that Williamson “don’t take a big step forward“and that he”plays the ball later than anyone else“. Former England captain Nasser Hussain, assessing Williamson’s technical prowess, highlighted the economy of movement, hand positioning and footwork that are the basis of his success. In putting forward the theory of an imaginary “box”, Hussain noted: “imagine you have a box around your waist and just below. If you put your hands outside of that area, you’re playing the ball early. If you can keep it in your box, you play it late.”

Hands positioned outside the imaginary ‘box’ would also, according to Hussain, increase the likelihood of tracking the ball outside the off stump and taking a chance to ‘keep the keeper’ and slip. Hussain had little doubt that it was this compactness that contributed to Kane Williamson’s success. Perhaps a similar adjustment by Root on the Australian wickets would bear fruit and lend credence to Chappelli’s view that the Englishman needs to reassess the bounce on these surfaces.

What would ultimately give rise to that much sought-after Ashes century for Joe Root was the method that Ian Chappell praised. It is a technique shaped by the modern era, but one that also starts from first principles and is, at its core, a product of the Yorkshire turf that produced some of the greatest batting technicians in the history of the game. When Neville Cardus described Sir Leonard Hutton as someone who played with a “plan in his mind» He could easily describe Joe Root almost 70 years later.

Stylistically, Root’s Yorkshire cricket lineage is evident in everything from the light grip on the bat handle to the spread-legged stance at the crease, while the tiptoe balance is reminiscent of Sir Geoffrey Boycott himself. Alert, lateral and able to pass from the back and front foot with easy dexterity, Root displays a classicism that dates back to Hutton and Sutcliffe, but also to Boycott, Bill Athey and now Harry Brook, a method so typical. from his home county.

Watching footage of Mike Gatting’s England to Australia during their victorious 1986/87 tour, the resemblance between Athey and Root is uncanny. Indeed, Root’s gifts are of a rarefied nature, unlike Athey’s more narrow modus operandi, but Yorkshire’s essential model of stance, footwork and positioning bears the White Rose county stamp.

Much like Williamson Root’s busy nature within the field and his innovative strokeplay, they are indicative of a player who has grown up in a multi-format cricket landscape. As such, the breathless classical traits that were once so typical of Root’s English backgrounds like Hammond, May, Cowdrey, Dexter and Gower are perhaps not as evident at the forefront of his repertoire. Instead, tellingly, Root’s audiences will marvel at the ramp deployment and its inverted iteration, two moves it’s hard to imagine his illustrious predecessors attempting, though pioneering Dexter would very well have been able to add such plans to its range.

Joe Root is England’s best modern player and a titan of today’s batting landscape. The disparity between his overall record and his figures against Australia is certainly tangible, but not, say, as stark as Ian Botham’s record against the West Indies and his achievements against others. If the Yorkshireman takes Ian Chappell’s observations into account next winter, perhaps his wait for a Test hundred against the old enemy will end. In a week when Root and fellow Yorkshireman Harry Brook sit at the top of the men’s ICC Test batting rankings, his supporters will be convinced that this great modern hitter still has plenty left in the tank and, perhaps , a little to prove.