Root finally scores an Ashes century for England in Australia and makes it a big one

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — After waiting a dozen years and 15 test matches, Joe Root took a little extra time to savor his first Ashes hundred in Australia.

He took off his batting helmet, kissed the badge and held up his bat to celebrate the milestone in front of a capacity crowd of 37,117 at the Gabba on Day 1 of the second test. The Barmy Army, the Aussies and the neutrals sang his name in unison.

“Even Australians have to admit he is a great now,” former England captain Alastair Cook said on broadcaster TNT Sports.

The English veteran — Root will turn 35 before the year is out — arrived in Australia last month to newspaper headlines describing him as “Average Joe,” deriding the No. 1-ranked test batter for two glaring omissions on his record in the Ashes.

He'd never won a test match in Australia and had never posted a century in an Ashes contest Down Under, despite accumulating 39 elsewhere.

Root finally checked off one of the few milestones missing from his impressive cricket CV with an unbeaten 135 on Thursday.

The drought Down Under that dated to 2013 ended when he reached triple figures under lights in the day-night match at the Gabba, against the pink ball.

“It was a technical masterclass from England’s best player,” former England captain Michael Vaughan said on Australian TV coverage.

Root is on his fourth Ashes tour to Australia, where his previous highest test score was 89.

He scored 0 and 8 in the eight-wicket loss in the series-opener in Perth last month, increasing the pressure on his form.

Root was 88 not out at drinks midway through the night session. He moved into the 90s for the first time in Australia with a boundary off Brendan Doggett. He hit another boundary next ball to go to 96.

With Root on 98, Will Jacks chased a wild shot against Mitchell Starc and was out for 19 to end their 40-run stand. England was 251-7.

Not to be outdone again, Root reached the century with a legside boundary against Scott Boland to his great relief, and to the great relief of his decidedly more nervous teammates.

The England and Wales Cricket Board wrote on X: “No doubt before. No doubt now. A true great of the game.”

It was Root's 40th century in his 160th test. He is already the second highest run-scorer in history — his 13,600-plus test runs are second only to India great Sachin Tendulkar.

Root went to the crease in the third over with England reeling at 5-2 after Starc's opening burst.

After edging Starc through the slips early, Root reached his half-century from 83 deliveries. And, after surviving two reviews by the Australians for lbw, his breakthrough century came off 181 balls.

He shared vital partnerships of 117 with Zac Crawley (76), 54 with Harry Brook (31) and 44 with Ben Stokes. He and No. 11 Jofra Archer shared an unbroken 61-run stand to take England to 325-9 at stumps.

Crawley said Root's knock was flawless.

“It’s a phenomenal knock,” Crawley said. The ball “was doing plenty when he first came in and he was so calm, and he was so clear as well about how he wanted to go about it.

“If you put everything into consideration, yeah, it’s got to be one of his best.”

Starc took six wickets but couldn't claim Root, too.

“I’m sure he’d be relieved to get that 100,” Starc said. “He played fantastically well today and assessed the conditions, sucked up some pressure, and got the result by the end of the day.”

One Australian relieved that Root got triple figures was ex-test opener Matthew Hayden, who'd vowed to do a nude lap around the Melbourne Cricket Ground if the Englishman's drought extended beyond this series.

He sent his congratulations to Root in a video message to England Cricket.

“It took you a while and there was no one that had more skin in the game than me, literally," Hayden, now working as a commentator, said. “I was backing you for a hundred in a good way, so congratulations.”

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

England's Joe Root celebrates his century during the second Ashes cricket test match between Australia and England in Brisbane, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)

England's Joe Root celebrates his century during the second Ashes cricket test match between Australia and England in Brisbane, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)

England's Joe Root celebrates his fifty runs during the second Ashes cricket test match between Australia and England in Brisbane, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)

England's Joe Root plays a shot during the second Ashes cricket test match between Australia and England in Brisbane, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)

England's Joe Root hits a four during the second Ashes cricket test match between Australia and England in Brisbane, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)

England's Joe Root reacts after miss a delivery during the second Ashes cricket test match between Australia and England in Brisbane, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn't scoring the way he usually does, but the Oklahoma City Thunder are still winning the way they normally do.

Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA MVP, averaged 31.1 points during the regular season. In the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers, he is averaging 20 points and taking only 14 shots per game.

Oklahoma City has still won the first two games by an average of 18 points. Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren each scored 22 points, and the defending champion Thunder beat the Lakers 125-107 on Thursday night.

Ajay Mitchell, starting in place of injured Jalen Williams, is averaging 19 points on 50% shooting in the series for Oklahoma City.

“I think the coaching staff does a good job at just getting all of us ready,” said Mitchell, a second-year guard. "And we have a lot of competitors. Like, everyone’s a competitor on our team. So every time the lights are bright, everyone’s ready to go.”

Holmgren is the leading scorer for the Thunder in the best-of-seven series with 23 points per game. The 2026 All-Star also is averaging 10.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.

Jared McCain, a midseason acquisition from the Philadelphia 76ers, barely played in the first round against Phoenix but has averaged 15 points and made 8 of 10 3-pointers in the series.

“He goes in there, stays in character, stays aggressive," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "He’s going to shoot the next shot. He makes the right plays, plays inside the team. He competes defensively, has had good defensive possessions for us. And he was huge tonight. You need that in a playoff series.”

The Lakers again were without scoring champion Luka Doncic, who is out indefinitely with a strained left hamstring. They also were missing forward Jarred Vanderbilt, the reserve forward who dislocated the pinkie on his right hand during the second quarter of Game 1. The Lakers had three players finish with five fouls, limiting their aggressiveness late in the game.

Los Angeles guard Austin Reaves, who struggled with his shot in Game 1, scored 31 points on 10-for-16 shooting in Game 2. LeBron James, coming off a 27-point effort in Game 1, followed that up with 23.

With the Lakers up 63-61 early in the third quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander got tied up with Reaves and was called for his fourth foul. Upon review, it was upgraded to a flagrant 1 for Gilgeous-Alexander's follow through. Oklahoma City's Alex Caruso was called for a technical foul as the situation was being sorted out.

Gilgeous-Alexander left the game with the Lakers up 65-61, but the Thunder rallied and took control without him. On a fast break, Holmgren found a trailing Jaylin Williams, who hit a 3-pointer and was fouled. His free throw put the Thunder up 85-74.

The Thunder outscored the Lakers 32-15 while Gilgeous-Alexander was out in the third quarter to take a 93-80 lead into the fourth.

“It was amazing," Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They strung together stops, they’re playing the right way offensively and things are going their way. Full confidence in those guys. They know how to win basketball games. And we've proven that. They’ve proven that no matter who’s on the floor, they know how to get the job done. And they just did it again tonight."

The Lakers cut Oklahoma City's lead to five in the fourth quarter before the Thunder pulled away again.

Los Angeles will host Game 3 on Saturday.

“We just stuck with it,” Holmgren said. “It’s the game of basketball. It’s not always going to go your way. It’s about how you respond. And this team has proven many times that we know how to respond. And we did so tonight.”

This story has been corrected to show that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 20, not 19, points per game against the Lakers.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Oklahoma City Thunder's Chet Holmgren (7) shoots over Los Angeles Lakers' Austin Reaves (15) in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell, front, works for a shot as Los Angeles Lakers' Austin Reaves, rear, defends in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James stands on the court in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket past Los Angeles Lakers' Deandre Ayton (5) and LeBron James, rear, in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) works to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)