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Ultimately, the very celebration was perfect, out there under that unusual vivid blue southern sky, in the frenzy of the contest – manic Baz energy, England’s lower order cutting loose in a do-or-die manner at the other end.

Indeed. All of that. At the heart, Joe Root eased the ball away past fine leg to notch his long-awaited Test hundred in Australia.

However, for those who understand, the significance is clear. Consider trying to explain the reason this was more than heartwarming, uplifting and cleansing, but quietly epic.

A Moment Preserved in Its Own Light

A player who already possessed thirty-nine hundreds in this rigorous discipline of a sport has now scored his 40th. However, consider the story, the skill, the jags in the road.

There will, of course, be plenty of debate talk to be settled. Has Joe Root finally achieved greatness? Is he *Australian* great?

However, there is something more about hoping for Root to be great in Australia. It isn't regarding point-scoring. Any Australian who understands cricket already knows Root is a exceptional cricketer.

Root's Century as a Solid Anchor

The century felt significant in other ways, not least as something concrete in the series for this team, a anchor in the difficulty.

Will England triumph at the Gabba? Uncertain. But Joe Root got a hundred. Did Harry Brook produce a disastrous stroke? Yes. He did.

This was not merely a hundred in Australia, but a brilliant one in truly tough conditions, an innings that may have saved his team in this series.

It began with the team in deep trouble, and England’s greatest modern player coming out at two wickets down for five runs. He was given a life early in the slips.

The Contrast in the Crease

As the day progressed, England were 175 for three. Two examples of elite Yorkshire batting at the crease.

At one end, Root was playing his natural game, relaxed, lithe, alert. At the other, Brook was batting like a man who urgently requires the bathroom.

Meanwhile, a dusk was coming, the shadows creeping across the ground, and the swing maestro preparing for the crucial spell of the day.

A Damaging Decision

Should one attack this threat? Yes. No settling in, no feet. Just a reckless waft first up.

The delivery to Brook was full-length, the edge thick. There is no scenario where this was a sensible choice.

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

Root's Steady Response

Thus one half of this England team kept faltering, while at the other end Root batted for survival, but for the team's cause.

He delivered his own quiet rebuke, a victory for doing your homework, working at your flaws.

England are still in this series because he achieved the milestone, offered a lesson in what skill ultimately means.

Can they dismiss Australia? Will they adapt? Not sure. But Joe Root did score a hundred.