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Ultimately, the very celebration was flawless, on the field under that strange intense blue southern sky, amid the chaos of the game-state – hyper Baz energy, the English lower order scything away death cult-style at the other end.

Indeed. All of that. Amidst it all, the veteran batsman steered the ball away to fine leg to complete his maiden Test hundred in Australia.

But, then if you know, you know. Picture trying to explain why this was more than heartwarming, inspiring and cleansing, but quietly epic.

A Moment Preserved in Time

A batsman who already had 39 hundreds in this traditional format of a sport has now registered his fortieth. However, trace the narrative, the skill, the twists and turns.

There'll, of course, be a lot of discussion material to be hashed out. Is Joe Root finally great? Is he *Australian* great?

But there is something deeper about wishing for Root to be great in Australia. This isn't concerning point-scoring. Any Australian who knows about cricket is well aware Root is a world-class cricketer.

Root's Hundred as a Sturdy Anchor

The century felt meaningful in other ways, not least as something solid in the series for this team, a anchor in the glacier.

Will England triumph at the Gabba? Don’t know. But Joe Root got a hundred. Did Harry Brook play... the worst shot yet? Yes. He did.

And not just a hundred in Australia, but a superb one in genuinely tough conditions, an innings that may have saved his team in this series.

It began with the early wickets tumbling, and England’s key batter coming out at 5/2. He was given a life early in the slips.

The Juxtaposition in the Middle

As the day progressed, England were 3/175. Two versions of elite Yorkshire-dom at the crease.

At one end, Root was exuding calm, easy, graceful, alert. At the other, Brook was batting like a man who desperately needs the bathroom.

Meanwhile, a dusk was coming, the shadows creeping across the ground, and Mitchell Starc preparing for the pivotal spell of the day.

A Damaging Choice

Is it wise to challenge this? Yep. No sighters, no feet. Just throw the hands at it first up.

The delivery to Brook was full, the edge clear. There is no world where this was a sensible choice.

It was, if nothing else, novel in its complete misjudgment. We've witnessed England bat in Australia like a rusted machine. Now Brook gave us the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

The Veteran's Silent Response

Therefore one half of this England team kept faltering, while at the other end Root batted with immense resolve, but for the entire innings.

Root provided his own subtle correction, a success for preparation, addressing your flaws.

The tourists are still in this series because he did the thing, delivered a lesson in what talent in the end means.

Will they take twenty wickets? Will they adapt? Not sure. But Joe Root compiled a hundred.