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Finally, the moment of celebration was ideal, on the field under that unusual intense blue southern sky, within the tumult of the contest – hyper Baz energy, the English lower order swinging freely death cult-style at the other end.

So yeah. All that stuff. In the middle, the former captain eased the ball away through fine leg to secure his maiden Test hundred in Australia.

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

An Achievement Caught in Time

A man who already had 39 hundreds in this traditional format of a sport has now compiled his fortieth. But, consider the story, the skill, the twists and turns.

There will, of course, be much banter-war stuff to be resolved. Has Joe Root finally achieved greatness? Does he now rank among Australian greats?

Yet there exists something more about wishing for Root to be great in Australia. It’s not about rivalry. Any Australian who understands cricket recognizes Root is a world-class cricketer.

The Captain's Hundred as a Sturdy Anchor

Root’s hundred felt meaningful in other ways, particularly as something concrete in the series for this team, a anchor in the difficulty.

Will England triumph at the Gabba? It's unclear. 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 superb one in truly tough conditions, an innings that may have saved his team in this series.

It began with the early wickets tumbling, and England’s greatest modern player coming out at 5/2. Root was dropped early in the slips.

The Contrast in the Middle

By mid-afternoon, England were 3/175. Two embodiments of elite Yorkshire grit at the crease.

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

Throughout, a gloom was coming, shadows creeping across the ground, and Mitchell Starc revving up for the crucial spell of the day.

A Reckless Stroke

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

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

It was at least novel in its abjectness. We have seen England bat in Australia like a rusted machine. Now Brook presented the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

The Veteran's Steady Answer

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

He delivered his own masterful response, a triumph for preparation, addressing your flaws.

The tourists are still in this series because he achieved the milestone, provided a lesson in what ability in the end means.

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