Former England captain Joe Root injured his ankle ahead of the second day of the first Ashes 2025-26 Test against Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth (Saturday, November 22). The top batsman, who was out for a duck in the first innings, will be important for the team as they would like to set a challenging target for Australia.
Root survived only seven balls before being caught at slip by Marnus Labuschagne off Mitchell Starc. The right-handed batsman remained at the crease for only 10 minutes. He showed the tension of the first morning of the Ashes series. In Perth, the visiting team could score only 172 runs in its first innings.
WATCH: Joe Root’s injury scare in warm-up
During the pre-match warm-up session, England had injury concerns when Joe Root appeared to be injured while playing football. He fell down holding his left ankle, causing concern to the team and spectators.
Root was clearly in pain after the incident and was seen limping when he got to his feet. The unexpected potential injury to a key player like Root just before the start of the day’s play created a lot of concern in the England camp.
Fortunately, the situation appeared to be returning to normal soon. The commentator gave an immediate update, saying, “That’s what happened. We all held our breath a little bit. But luckily, he seems to be coming down, he seems to be shaking it off and he seems to be OK.”
Joe Root may suffer a possible injury in the warm-up before the game today
Thankfully, he seems fine
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Joe Root adds another unwanted entry to his Ashes record
Joe Root has added another unwanted entry to his Ashes record. This was his sixth duck against Australia and his third on Australian soil. Notably, he also started his 2021-22 campaign with a duck at the Gabba after nine balls when Josh Hazlewood dismissed him.
Before this series, many people were hopeful that Root would improve his record in Australia. He enjoyed three excellent years averaging above 50 from 2023 to 2025.
The two bowlers who have troubled them the most, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, were not part of the attack for the ongoing Test. It is noteworthy that Cummins and Hazlewood have dismissed Root 11 and 10 times respectively.
On the second day, Australia was out for 132 runs in the first innings.
Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to bat first. Left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc took 7 wickets for 58 runs in 12.5 overs, as Australia bowled out England for just 172 runs.
Harry Brook, Ollie Pope, Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett were the only batsmen to reach double figures. Debutant Brendan Doggett took two wickets in the first innings.
After this, Stokes brought England back into the contest by taking 5 wickets for 23 runs. The home side ended the opening day struggling at 123 for 9, with Nathan Lyon and Brendan Doggett at the crease.
England wrapped up Australia’s innings early on the second day. He returned to bat and by lunch scored 59 runs for 1 wicket. Joe Root was not needed during the first session as England lost just one wicket.
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