Joe Root hailed for his ‘inner steel’ after ‘phenomenal’ Ashes century

• Joe Root scored his first Test century on Australian soil, achieving an unbeaten 135 in the day-night second Ashes Test at the Gabba on Thursday.
• This milestone marked his 40th Test century overall and ended a 13-year wait across 15 appearances without a hundred in Australia.
• Root's innings was crucial, helping England recover from a precarious position of 5-2 to reach 325-9 by the end of the day.
• Teammate Zak Crawley branded Root’s ton a “phenomenal knock”, and praised the centurion’s “humble” nature and “inner steel”.
• Crawley also made a significant comeback, scoring 76 after recording two ducks in the previous Test.

IN FULL

Zak Crawley hails ‘humble’ Joe Root as he makes first Ashes century in Australia