Joe Root suffers back injury during Sydney Test vs Australia, England rocked by fresh blow

English batter Joe Root has suffered from some discomfort in his back after the massive innings he played at the Sydney Cricket Ground. He is unlikely to take the field again on Day 2, stressing the English ahead of their tour to Sri Lanka.

England have been suffering from injuries during this Ashes tour. The Ashes started with Australia getting their players ruled out due to injuries; however, by the end of the series, several English players had also met the same fate. Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson were among the players to be ruled out with injuries in this Ashes series.

Coming into the final match of the series between England and Australia, England's great brought out his very best and manufactured a brilliant innings under pressure. England could pose a decent total batting as long as 5 sessions, all credit to Root's 160-run innings.

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Joe Root's fresh injury scare raises new trouble for England

The England great Joe Root has not been in the finest of touch this Ashes, despite getting his maiden hundred on Australian soil in the pink ball Test at the Gabba. He had averaged nearly 33 throughout the Ashes until his supreme brilliance at the SCG.

Root batted stunningly in the Sydney Test, as he started 2026 on a dominant note. Finishing on 160 off 242 balls, Root anchored England's innings alongside Harry Brook and Jamie Smith in some valuable partnerships.

However, the concerning news for England is that Root has been facing some discomfort in his back and will not be taking the field any further on Day 2. England will hope that the injury scare is nothing serious and that Root is soon back on the field.

England say Joe Root has "discomfort" in his back and is unlikely to field again today.

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Joe Root equals Australian legend in massive Test record

The Sydney wicket seems to be a batting paradise, as not only did Joe Root bat at his fluent best in this Ashes series on this track, but the Australia opener Travis Head, alongside Marnus Labuschagne, has also shown amazing grit, giving their team a quick start in the second innings of the match.

Root scored his 41st Test century, which equals him with Ricky Ponting, the former Australian skipper, for the third most centuries in Test cricket. He is now only behind the likes of former South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis, who had 45 centuries in his career to become the second-highest centurion in red-ball history.

Root, who is currently chasing the runs tally of the Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar and is less than 2000 runs behind his massive milestone, could also chase the record for most Test cricket hundreds from the little master, which accounts for 51 hundreds.

Injuries would affect Joe Root's ODI campaign in Sri Lanka

Next, after the Ashes, the England team would travel with their contingent to Sri Lanka. The nation is the official host of the ICC T20 World Cup alongside India, and a series there would give the English an early exposure to subcontinent conditions.

Joe Root has been picked for England's three-match ODI series, which precedes the T20Is against Sri Lanka. Root is a crucial part of the England ODI setup and was the highest run-getter in 50-over cricket in 2025.

He has been an inseparable part of the team since his return ahead of the ICC World Cup 2023. However, Root's injury, if escalated, can be concerning for the English ahead of the tour to Sri Lanka.

ALSO READ: 1,984 runs to go: When will Joe Root overtake Sachin Tendulkar as Test Cricket’s highest run-scorer?