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Ultimately, the moment of celebration was flawless, out there under that unique vivid blue southern sky, in the frenzy of the game-state – frantic Baz energy, England’s lower order scything away in a do-or-die manner at the other end.

Right. All that drama. At the heart, the former captain steered the ball away to fine leg to complete his maiden Test hundred in Australia.

However, for those who understand, the significance is clear. Consider trying to explain the reason this was not just heartwarming, inspiring and cathartic, but profoundly significant.

A Milestone Preserved in Time

A man who already possessed 39 hundreds in this rigorous discipline of a sport has now scored his fortieth. Yet, follow the narrative, the artistry, the jags in the road.

There'll, of course, be a lot of debate stuff to be resolved. Has Joe Root finally achieved greatness? Is he *Australian* great?

However, there is something deeper about wanting Root to be great in Australia. It’s not about rivalry. Any Australian who knows about cricket recognizes Root is a great cricketer.

The Captain's Hundred as a Sturdy Handhold

The century felt important in other ways, particularly as something concrete in the series for this team, a anchor in the difficulty.

Are England going to win at the Gabba? It's unclear. But Joe Root got a hundred. Did Harry Brook produce a disastrous stroke? Yes. He did.

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

It had to start with the wings already falling off, and England’s greatest modern player coming out at 5/2. He was given a life early in the slips.

The Juxtaposition in the Crease

By mid-afternoon, England were in a reasonable position. Two examples of elite Yorkshire-dom at the crease.

On one side, Root was exuding calm, relaxed, graceful, watchful. Meanwhile, Brook was batting like a man who urgently requires the bathroom.

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

A Costly Choice

Is it wise to challenge this? Apparently so. No settling in, no feet. Just a reckless waft first up.

The ball to Brook was full-length, the edge healthy. There is no context where this was a sensible choice.

It was, if nothing else, novel in its utter failure. We have seen England bat in Australia without fluidity. This was Brook as the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

Root's Quiet Answer

Therefore one half of this England team continued to collapse, while at the other end Root batted not just for his life, but for everyone else’s too.

He offered his own masterful response, a success for doing your homework, addressing your flaws.

The tourists are still in this series because he scaled the peak, offered a lesson in what talent in the end means.

Are they going to bowl Australia out? Will they adapt? Uncertain. But Joe Root did score a hundred.