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Ultimately, the very celebration was perfect, out there under that unusual vivid blue southern sky, within the tumult of the match situation – frantic Baz energy, the English lower order swinging freely death cult-style at the other end.

So yeah. All that stuff. At the heart, the veteran batsman guided the ball away through fine leg to secure his maiden Test hundred in Australia.

But, then if you know, you know. Picture trying to explain why this was more than warm, uplifting and cathartic, but subtly monumental.

A Milestone Frozen in Its Own Light

A batsman who already had 39 hundreds in this rigorous discipline of a sport has now registered his fortieth. However, trace the narrative, the artistry, the twists and turns.

There will, of course, be plenty of discussion stuff to be settled. Does this cement Joe Root's greatness? Is he *Australian* great?

However, there is something deeper about wanting Root to be great in Australia. It isn't regarding rivalry. Every Australian who cares for cricket already knows Root is a great cricketer.

Root's Century as a Solid Anchor

This ton felt significant in other ways, not least as something concrete in the series for this team, a foothold 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.

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

It had to start with the wings already falling off, and England’s key batter coming out at two wickets down for five runs. A chance was put down early in the slips.

The Contrast in the Crease

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

At one end, Root was playing his natural game, easy, lithe, watchful. Meanwhile, Brook was batting like a man who urgently requires the bathroom.

Throughout, a dusk was coming, shadows creeping across the ground, and Mitchell Starc preparing for the pivotal spell of the day.

A Costly Stroke

Should one attack this threat? Apparently so. No sighters, no feet. Just a reckless waft first up.

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

It was at least novel in its utter failure. We have seen England bat in Australia without fluidity. Now Brook presented the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

The Veteran's Quiet Rebuke

And so 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 offered his own subtle correction, a success for diligence, correcting your flaws.

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

Can they dismiss Australia? Are they going to learn? Not sure. But Joe Root compiled a hundred.