KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Joe Root created history in the England-Afghanistan clash
- Root made an ODI ton after almost six years
- Root made his 5th ton in ICC events
Despite England's defeat in the 2025 Champions Trophy clash to Afghanistan by eight runs in a nail-biting last-over thriller at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Joe Root etched his name in the history books with a heroic ton that single-handedly kept England alive in the game.
With wickets falling around him as the Jos Buttler-led side attempted to chase down a huge total of 326, Root made 120 runs in 111 balls in a knock that included 11 boundaries and one six. This knocked Root's 17 ODI century and the first in almost six years. His last three-figure score in the ODI format came in the 2019 Cricket World Cup against the West Indies at Southampton.
Joe Root Creates History
Root now has three centuries in a 300+ run-chase in ICC events following tons against Bangladesh in the 2017 Champions Trophy at the Oval and one against Pakistan in Nottingham in the 2019 World Cup. No other player has as many tons while chasing a total of more than 300 in global events. Kumar Sangakkara and Shakib al Hasan have both made two tons each.
Root now also has two centuries each while chasing in both the ODI World Cup and Champions Trophy. Root's ton against the West Indies in 2019 had also come in a run-chase. No other player has more than one ton in run-chases in both ICC ODI events.
Players To Score Multiple Centuries While Chasing In ODI WC
| Player |
Centuries In Run-Chases |
| Rohit Sharma |
4 |
| Stephan Fleming |
2 |
| Gordan Greenidge |
2 |
| Ramiz Raja |
2 |
| Rachin Ravindra |
2 |
| Kumar Sangakkara |
2 |
| Shakib Al Hasan |
2 |
| Joe Root |
2 |
Two or More Centuries While Chasing In Champions Trophy
| Player |
Centuries While Chasing In Champions Trophy |
| Chris Gayle |
2 |
| Shane Watson |
2 |
| Joe Root |
2 |
Root now has four tons while chasing in ICC ODI events, which is the second-most. Only Rohit Sharma (5) has scored more. Sangakkara, Shakib, and Rachin all have made three tons each.
This is the third instance of a century by Root ending in a losing cause in an ICC event. Earlier, his tons against Sri Lanka in the 2015 World Cup and Pakistan in the 2019 World Cup also came in defeats for England. Only Herschelle Gibbs (4) has made more than tons in losing cause in global events. Two tons each of Gibbs in the Champions Trophy (2000, 2002) and Cricket World Cup (1999, 2003) went in vain as South Africa lost the match. Root is the only player to make two tons in losing causes in a run-chase in ICC ODI events. Gibbs' made three tons in losing causes while batting first and just once in the second innings of the match.
Root now has five tons in ICC ODI events which is as many as Gibbs, Gayle, and Tilakartane Dilshan. Only David Warner (6), Sangakkara(6), Virat Kohli(6), Shikhar Dhawan(6), Sachin Tendulkar(7), Ricky Ponting(7), and Rohit(8) have more.
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