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Finally, even the celebration was ideal, on the field under that strange intense blue southern sky, in the frenzy of the match situation – hyper Baz energy, England’s lower order cutting loose in a do-or-die manner at the other end.

So yeah. All that stuff. Amidst it all, the veteran batsman guided the ball away past fine leg to complete his maiden Test hundred in Australia.

But, then if you know, you know. Consider trying to explain the reason this was not just heartwarming, uplifting and cathartic, but quietly epic.

A Milestone Frozen in Its Own Light

A man who already had 39 hundreds in this rigorous discipline of a sport has now compiled his 40th. But, consider the story, the craft, the setbacks.

There'll, of course, be a lot of discussion stuff to be settled. Has Joe Root finally achieved greatness? Is he considered great by Australian standards?

Yet there exists something more about wanting Root to be great in Australia. It isn't regarding one-upmanship. Any Australian who cares for cricket already knows Root is a exceptional cricketer.

Root's Century as a Reliable Handhold

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

Are England going to win 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 may have saved his team in this series.

It had to start with the wings already falling off, and England’s premier batsman coming out at a dire 5 for 2. Root was dropped early in the slips.

The Dichotomy in the Middle

In the afternoon session, England were 175 for three. Two embodiments of elite Yorkshire batting at the crease.

On one side, Root was simply being himself, relaxed, graceful, watchful. At the other, Brook was batting like a man who desperately needs the bathroom.

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

A Costly Decision

Is it wise to challenge this? Yes. No settling in, no feet. Just a flash of the bat first up.

The ball to Brook was full, the edge clear. There is no context where this was a good choice.

It was at least novel in its complete misjudgment. We have seen England bat in Australia like a rusted machine. This was Brook as the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

Root's Steady Answer

Therefore one half of this England team continued to collapse, while at the other end Root batted for survival, but for the team's cause.

He offered his own masterful response, a triumph for diligence, addressing your flaws.

The tourists are still in this series because he did the thing, provided a lesson in what ability ultimately means.

Can they dismiss Australia? Are they going to learn? Uncertain. But Joe Root made a hundred.