Cricket Legend's Stark Bet on England Star
Australian cricket great Matthew Hayden has made an extraordinary pledge, vowing to walk around the Melbourne Cricket Ground naked if England's Joe Root fails to score a century during the 2025 Ashes series Down Under. The bold declaration came during a heated debate with former team-mate Greg Blewett on the All Over Bar The Cricket podcast, highlighting the intense pre-series focus on Root's form in Australia.
The Root Conundrum: A Statistical Anomaly
Much of the pre-Ashes discussion has centred on Joe Root's curious record in Australia. Despite being the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket history with 13,543 runs, trailing only Sachin Tendulkar, the former England captain has never scored a century against Australia on their home soil across 14 Tests. This statistical anomaly has made Root a target for sections of the Australian media, with The West Australian recently branding him 'Average Joe' and a 'Dud Root Down Under'.
However, Hayden, the Queensland star and former opening batter, holds a radically different view. He named Root among his all-time favourite English middle-order batsmen, stating, 'He [Root] is the most complete package in the England side.'
The Podcast Clash That Sparked a Naked Wager
The controversy ignited when Blewett constructed his all-time English top order, conspicuously omitting Root. Instead, he selected Michael Vaughan and Alastair Cook as openers, Jonathan Trott at number three, Graham Thorpe at four, and Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff at five and six.
Hayden was incredulous, asking, 'I can’t believe you don’t have Joe Root in your team?' In response, Blewett held up a circle with his fingers, symbolising a zero, and retorted, 'That’s how many hundreds he’s made in Australia from 14 Tests... Zero!'
Unswayed, Hayden defended Root's overall record, pointing out that his average against Australia, both home and away, is a respectable 40 runs per game, and that he scored 180 against them in England. The debate culminated in Hayden's now-famous bet: 'I’ll walk nude around the MCG if he doesn’t get a hundred this summer.'
Blewett remained adamant, arguing that Root's past achievements, including a recent hat-trick of tons against India, were irrelevant to his current team selection. 'We’re picking it now, not in six month's time!' he insisted.
Hayden later elaborated on his daring pledge on The Willow Talk podcast, clarifying that his nudity would be tempered with 'some pride'. He outlined a plan involving strategic wardrobe changes with his football shorts, representing the Broncos and Queensland, and joked about replicating a past incident where he stripped on a cable car up Table Mountain, using only an Australian flag for cover.
More seriously, Hayden expressed his hope that Root finds form, believing it is crucial for the series. 'It’ll be a much better series if their No 4 and our No 4 [Steve Smith] have rising stocks,' he said. 'If Smudgey and Rooty get going in this series, it’s going to be something special. It’ll go into sort of fifth day, which is exactly what you want when it comes to Ashes cricket.'
