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Finally, the moment of celebration was perfect, out there under that unique vivid blue southern sky, in the frenzy of the game-state – manic Baz energy, the English lower order cutting loose with reckless abandon at the other end.

So yeah. All that stuff. At the heart, the former captain guided the ball away to fine leg to complete his long-awaited Test hundred in Australia.

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

A Milestone Caught in Its Own Light

A player who already had 39 hundreds in this traditional format of a sport has now scored his fortieth. However, follow the story, the artistry, the jags in the road.

There'll, of course, be much discussion material to be settled. Does this cement Joe Root's greatness? Is he *Australian* great?

Yet there exists something more about wanting Root to be great in Australia. This isn't concerning one-upmanship. Every Australian who knows about cricket is well aware Root is a great cricketer.

The Captain's Hundred 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 ice.

Will England triumph at the Gabba? Uncertain. 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 outstanding one in genuinely tough conditions, an innings that could have saved his team in this series.

The innings commenced 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 Crease

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

On one side, Root was simply being himself, easy, graceful, alert. At the other, Brook was batting like a man who urgently requires the bathroom.

Throughout, a dusk was coming, shadows creeping across the ground, and the pink ball genius preparing for the crucial spell of the day.

A Costly Decision

Do you run towards this danger? Yes. No sighters, no feet. Just a reckless waft first up.

The ball to Brook was full-length, the edge clear. There is no scenario where this was a smart choice.

It was at least novel in its utter failure. We've witnessed England bat in Australia without fluidity. This was Brook as the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

The Veteran's Quiet Rebuke

Therefore one half of this England team continued to collapse, while at the other end Root batted not just for his life, but for the entire innings.

Root provided his own subtle correction, a success for diligence, working at your flaws.

England are still in this series because he did the thing, offered a lesson in what skill in the end means.

Are they going to bowl Australia out? Can they evolve? Not sure. But Joe Root did score a hundred.