Joe Root is certainly one of the greatest batters of all times but along with his runs, records and accolades, one incomplete story will also be talked about and that chapter is his record in Australia. Widely regarded as England’s finest batter, Root has conquered almost every challenge the game has thrown at him, yet success in Test matches Down Under continues to elude him.
Joe Root’s career numbers place him at the very top of the English cricket history. No England player has scored more runs than him in Tests, One-Day Internationals or international cricket overall. Since making his Test debut against India in Ahmedabad in December 2012, Joe Root has been a constant presence in England’s red-ball side and a symbol of consistency across formats. However, Australia has proved to be the toughest frontier.
Across 17 Test matches played in Australia, Joe Root is still without a single win. England have lost 15 of those games, while two ended in draws. That record leaves Joe Root tied for the most Test defeats by a visiting player in a single country. Former teammates Alastair Cook and James Anderson also suffered 15 losses in Australia, but they managed to taste victory there, something Joe Root is yet to experience.
Joe Root first toured Australia during the 2013–14 Ashes, a series that ended in a whitewash for England. He returned as captain in the 2017–18 Ashes, where England lost four Tests and drew one in Melbourne. The pattern repeated in 2021–22 under his leadership, with four defeats and another solitary draw. In the current series, England have again lost all the three matches played so far.
On the broader Test stage, the record for most defeats belongs to West Indies legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul who lost 77 of his 164 Tests. James Anderson follows with 68 losses, while Brian Lara, Mushfiqur Rahim and Joe Root share 63 defeats each. Even so, Joe Root’s legacy remains immense, only this Australian hurdle stands between excellence and completeness.
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