"I'll walk nude around the MCG" - Australian legend's hilarious claim on Joe Root ahead of Ashes 2025

Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden has made a hilarious remark, claiming he would walk nude around the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) if England stalwart Joe Root doesn’t score a century in the Ashes 2025. The five-match series is scheduled to begin on November 21, with Perth set to host the opener.

The English talisman has featured in 14 matches in Australia, scoring 892 runs at an average of 35.68. Despite registering nine fifties, he is yet to reach a century. On Friday, September 12, during a discussion on the ‘All Over Bar The Cricket’ YouTube channel, Matthew Hayden commented on Joe Root, saying:

“I’ll walk nude around the MCG if he doesn’t make a hundred this summer.”

The All Over Bar The Cricket Instagram account also shared Hayden’s remark, where his daughter and sports presenter Grace Hayden requested Root to score a century in the comments section. She wrote:

“Please @root66 make a hundred.”

Grace Hayden urges Joe Root to score a century in the Ashes 2025 (Image via Instagram-@alloverbarthecricket)

Looking at Root’s overall record against Australia, the 34-year-old has played 34 matches, scoring 2,428 runs at an average of 40.46, including 18 fifties and four centuries.

Joe Root is the second-highest run-getter in Test cricket history

Joe Root made his Test debut against India in December 2012 and has since featured in 158 matches. The middle-order batter has amassed 13,543 runs in 288 innings at an average of 51.29, making him the second-highest run-scorer in the format’s history, behind Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar (15,921).

The right-hander has registered 66 fifties and 39 centuries, the most by any England player and the fourth-most overall.

Root’s numbers have seen a tremendous rise since the start of 2021. He has featured in 61 matches, scoring 5,720 runs at an average of 56.63, including 17 fifties and 22 centuries during this period.

The 34-year-old will be eager to leave his mark in the Ashes 2025 later this year and register a century on Australian soil as well.

About the author

Dev Sharma is a cricket journalist at Sportskeeda with over three years of experience. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and has previously worked at Times Now as a sports writer.

His degree has empowered him with a good understanding of ethics in journalism and effective interviewing techniques, which he employs in his articles. He researches and verifies facts from multiple sources and remains impartial in his viewpoints. He has had the privilege of interviewing renowned sports journalist Vijay Lokapally.

Dev loves cricket because of its ability to keep spectators on the edge of their seats and its ability to foster a sense of community and shared passion. He is a staunch supporter of the Indian cricket team and his favorite cricketer is Yuvraj Singh, especially after he hit those iconic six sixes in an over in 2007. He also admires Rohit Sharma’s leadership as he led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles and Team India to the T20 World Cup.

When he’s not working, Dev enjoys watching football or catching up on his sleep.

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Edited by Dev Sharma