'Happy For Australian Crowd': Joe Root's Blockbuster Reaction On Matthew Hayden Goes Viral
England batter Joe Root had some kind words for Australian great Matthew Hayden after bringing up his maiden Test century Down Under.
England batter Joe Root had some kind words for Australian great Matthew Hayden after bringing up his maiden Test century Down Under. Root, widely regarded as one of the best batters in the world, achieved the milestone on Day 1 of the second Ashes Test. Before the series began, Hayden had made a quirky claim that he would walk around naked at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) if Root failed to score a century in Australia. Fortunately for Hayden, Root delivered and lived up to expectations.
After Root reached his century, Hayden praised him for the knock. Now, Root has responded to the Australian legend and thanked him for the motivation.
"Actually, it's really nice of him to give me the confidence and backing in the first place. But yeah, kind of him to send those words and obviously an Australian great who has done special things in the game," said Root.
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After scoring his first ever hundred in Australia, Rooty sent a little message back to @HaydosTweets https://t.co/rRc6LSdqvU pic.twitter.com/piVVnZl3XA
"So obviously, nice to get that from him, but also, for the Australian public that they don't have to witness that. And his family-I think they'll be quite happy too," he added.
To Hayden's relief, Root scored a brilliant century on Day 1 of the pink-ball Test at the Gabba.
"Congratulations mate on a hundred here in Australia. Took you a while and there was no one that had more skin in the game than me-literally. I was backing you for a hundred in a good way. So congratulations, ten fifties and finally a hundred. You little ripper mate. Have a beauty and bloody enjoy it," Hayden said in a video shared by England Cricket on X.
Root reached his maiden hundred on Australian soil in 181 deliveries. Overall, it was his 40th century in the longest format. The former England captain took 30 innings to achieve this landmark in Australia.
(With PTI inputs)
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