Will walk around naked if Joe Root doesn't score 100 in Ashes 2025-26: Matthew Hayden

Legendary Australia cricketer Matthew Hayden has made a bizarre statement that he will walk around naked around the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) if Joe Root doesn’t score a century during the upcoming Ashes 2025-26. Australia and England are set to collide in the Ashes 2025-26 from November 21 – January 8, 2026.

England have lost the last three Ashes series in Australia and haven’t won a Test match in the country since 2011. Ahead of the upcoming series, there’s massive scrutiny on their star batter Joe Root, who’s yet to score a century in Australia.

Recently, on a podcast show, Matthew Hayden objected to one of the panellists not picking Root in the all-time Ashes XI and even went on to make a bizarre claim that he would walk around naked if Root fails to score a century in the upcoming Ashes.

“He’s just the most complete package in the England side, I can't believe you haven't got Joe Root in your team. He averages 40, bud, high score of 180, and I'll talk to you at the end of this summer. I'll walk nude around the MCG if he doesn't get a hundred this summer,” said Hayden during All Over Bar the Cricket podcast.

Root doesn’t have a memorable record in Australia as he has scored 892 runs from 27 Test innings at an average of 35.68, with nine fifties to his name. On three occasions, he has passed 80, but the elusive three-figure score continues to evade him.

Root has been in the form of his life in the post-COVID era as he’s taken giant strides in the list of all-time run scorers’ in Test history. He now sits second in the legendary list with 13,543 runs, with only Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 runs) ahead of him. However, he has a tough challenge ahead of him in the upcoming Ashes with the entire world expecting a century from his willow, given his rich form.