England’s Joe Root went viral after scoring a century during Day 1 of the second Ashes Test at the Gabba in Brisbane. The English batter raised a few eyebrows after his celebration appeared strikingly similar to Pakistani star batter Babar Azam’s against Sri Lanka.
Joe Root finally broke his long wait for a Test hundred in Australia, reaching three figures for the first time in his career Down Under. After completing his century, he removed his helmet, held his bat in the other hand, tilted his head slightly, and delivered a casual shrug, a pose fans quickly compared to Babar Azam’s celebration during his ODI hundred against Sri Lanka.
The moment spread rapidly across social media, with many wondering whether Root was copying Babar or paying tribute to him.
Adding to the fun, former Australian opener and now commentator, Matthew Hayden, had a personal wager riding on Root’s performance. Before the match, Hayden had jokingly vowed to walk naked around the Melbourne Cricket Ground if Root didn’t score a century during the Ashes.
Fortunately for Hayden, Root’s milestone arrived on Day 1 of the pink-ball Test in Brisbane, ending the English batter’s long-standing drought in Australia and saving Hayden from his outrageous promise.
England Cricket later shared a humorous video featuring Hayden congratulating Root. In the clip, Hayden admitted he had “more skin in the game” than anyone else.
“Good day, Joe. Congratulations, mate, on the hundred here in Australia. Took you a while, and there was no one with more skin in the game than me — literally,” Hayden joked. “I was backing you in. Ten fifties and finally a hundred. You little ripper. Enjoy it, mate.”
