Former Australia cricketer Matthew Hayden has placed a huge bet on England batter Joe Root. He is backing the former England captain to score at least one century in the upcoming Ashes that will be played in Australia. Hayden has made a hilarious remark that he will walk nude around the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) if the England stalwart fails to notch up a hundred in Australia in his current form.
Notably, Root has played 14 Test matches in Australia and has never crossed the 100-run mark. He has scored 892 runs at an average of 35.68 with nine fifty-plus scores but a century has always eluded him down under. On Friday (September 12), during a discussion on the 'All Over Bar the Cricket' Youtube Channel, Hayden backed Root to end the century drought in Australia and made the startling claim.
"I’ll walk nude around the MCG if he doesn’t make a hundred this summer," Hayden said.
Watch the video here
It didn't take much time for the video to go viral, and Hayden's daughter, Grace Hayde,n who is also a cricket presenter, was quick to comment on the post, requesting Root to finally score a century during the Ashes later this year. "Please @root66 make a hundred," she wrote in the comments section.
Joe Root's overall record in Australia
When it comes to Test cricket, Joe Root has a forgettable record in Australia, with no centuries in 14 Test matches. He has also played 16 ODIs and three T20Is down under but a century has continued to elude him over the years. In 16 ODIs, Root has scored four fifties with a best score of unbeaten 91 and amassed 422 runs at an average of 35.16.
Root has scored four centuries against Australia in his career and all of them have come at home in England. The 34-year-old has played 34 Tests against them, scoring 2428 runs at an average of 40.46, including 18 fifties and four tons.
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