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In the end, even the celebration was ideal, on the field under that unique intense blue southern sky, in the frenzy of the game-state – manic Baz energy, the English lower order cutting loose in a do-or-die manner at the other end.

Indeed. All of that. Amidst it all, Joe Root guided the ball away to fine leg to notch his long-awaited Test hundred in Australia.

Yet, the true meaning resonates with those who have followed the journey. Consider trying to explain the reason this was not just warm, inspiring and cleansing, but profoundly significant.

A Moment Frozen in Its Own Light

A batsman who already possessed 39 centuries in this starchy formal dance of a sport has now scored his fortieth. However, consider the journey, the craft, the setbacks.

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

Yet there exists something deeper about wishing for Root to be great in Australia. This isn't concerning one-upmanship. Every Australian who cares for cricket already knows Root is a great cricketer.

Root's Hundred as a Sturdy Anchor

Root’s hundred felt meaningful in other ways, not least as something tangible in the series for this team, a handhold in the ice.

Will England triumph at the Gabba? It's unclear. But Joe Root got a hundred. Was Harry Brook's dismissal the poorest shot? Yes. He did.

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

It began with the early wickets tumbling, and England’s greatest modern player coming out at a dire 5 for 2. He was given a life early in the slips.

The Juxtaposition in the Crease

As the day progressed, England were in a reasonable position. Two examples of elite Yorkshire-dom at the crease.

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

All the while, a dusk was coming, the shadows creeping across the ground, and the swing maestro building up for the crucial spell of the day.

A Reckless Choice

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

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

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

Root's Quiet Answer

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

He offered his own quiet rebuke, a success for preparation, correcting your flaws.

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

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