Matthew Hayden has lastly spoken in regards to the hilarious second when Joe Root saved him from doing a ‘naked run’ at the MCG. Hayden recalled the light-hearted incident with humour, revealing how Root intervened simply in time to spare him the embarrassing dare.
Australia is at the moment dealing with England within the second Test of the five-match Ashes Series 2026. On Day 1, regardless of the Australia bowlers showcasing their prowess with the pink ball, it was Joe Root who stole the highlight by scoring his fortieth Test century, marking his long-awaited first on Australian soil. Legendary Australian batter Matthew Hayden had humorously claimed that he would run across the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) bare if Root didn’t safe a century on this Ashes Series. Following Root’s spectacular efficiency, Hayden grew to become a trending matter on social media, and he has now responded to the scenario.
In a video shared by 7Sports Australia, Matthew Hayden prolonged his congratulations to Joe Root for reaching his first century in Australia. He additionally humorously remarked that nobody had extra at stake than him if Root had not reached the hundred.
“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 mentioned.
MESSAGE FROM MATTHEW HAYDEN – THIS IS GOLD…!!! pic.twitter.com/SsOeeTprqs
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 4, 2025
After Mitchell Starc unsettled England at the beginning, Joe Root and Zak Crawley steadied the innings, with Crawley impressively scoring 76 runs. Once he was dismissed, Australia continued to take wickets, however Root remained strong at one finish, in the end scoring a exceptional century. This innings additionally noticed Root surpass the 1000-run milestone in Test matches performed on Australian soil. He now boasts a whole of 1006 runs in Australia, which incorporates one century and 9 fifties throughout 30 innings.
This marked Joe Root’s twenty second century within the World Test Championship (WTC), making him the primary participant to attain this feat. The England star has already led the WTC when it comes to most centuries, and with this newest century, he has widened the hole over the second-highest, Steve Smith, who has recorded 13 centuries within the WTC.
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