Could Cummins’ absence help Root break century drought?

Nicholas Quinlan • October 13th, 2025 5:35 pm

Could the potential absence of Australian captain Pat Cummins for part of the upcoming Ashes series help Joe Root potentially break his Test century drought in Australia?

Despite having made 39 Test centuries to date and being the second-highest run scorer in Test cricket, Root has had his fair share of struggles when batting in Australia.

The Englishman is yet to make a century in the 14 Tests that he has played down under, with the closest being 89 in 2021 at the Gabba.

And leading the charge in preventing Root from making a century in an away Ashes series has been Cummins, who has taken his wicket 11 times in the Test arena, which is the equal most of any bowler.

But with the possibility of the Aussie skipper being out of the team for at least the first Test with a back stress injury, this might open the door for Root to break his long-awaited century drought, according to esteemed sports journalist Robert Craddock.

“Pat has got a way of getting out Joe Root,” Craddock elaborated to Sam Edmund and Kane Cornes on SEN’s Whateley.

“He bowls short to him, and he feeds that glide. Batsmen who are raised in the north of England, like Root, have that glide outside off stump but through gully.

“But it’s very hard to do in Australia, where the ball bounces, and that’s why Cummins has got Root out more than any other bowler.

“And when a bloke who is averaging 50 for his career, or around about 50, that’s a wonderful result.

“So, if you said to me on the spot for a prediction, I would predict that Joe Root, who’s never scored a century in Australia, will make one score of 150 in this Test series because he will get going at some stage.

“And when he gets going, enough will never be enough.

“When you're traumatised by a jinx and you break that jinx, you just want to bat and bat.”

The Ashes will get underway from November 21 at Optus Stadium in Perth.

And you will be able to listen to every ball LIVE of the enthralling series on the SEN app and radio network.