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In the end, even the celebration was perfect, on the field under that strange vivid blue southern sky, within the tumult of the contest – manic Baz energy, England’s lower order scything away death cult-style at the other end.

Indeed. All of that. Amidst it all, the former captain guided the ball away to fine leg to notch his maiden Test hundred in Australia.

Yet, the true meaning resonates with those who have followed the journey. Imagine trying to explain why this was more than heartwarming, uplifting and cleansing, but quietly epic.

An Achievement Caught in Its Own Light

A player who already had thirty-nine hundreds in this starchy formal dance of a sport has now scored his fortieth. However, trace the story, the skill, the setbacks.

There'll, of course, be plenty of discussion stuff to be resolved. Is Joe Root finally great? Does he now rank among Australian greats?

However, there is something further about wishing for Root to be great in Australia. It isn't regarding rivalry. Any Australian who understands cricket is well aware Root is a exceptional cricketer.

Root's Hundred as a Reliable Handhold

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

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 outstanding one in truly tough conditions, an innings that could have saved his team in this series.

The innings commenced with the wings already falling off, and England’s key batter coming out at 5/2. Root was dropped early in the slips.

The Contrast in the Crease

In the afternoon session, England were 3/175. Two embodiments of elite Yorkshire batting at the crease.

On one side, Root was playing his natural game, easy, graceful, alert. At the other, Brook was batting like a man who urgently requires the bathroom.

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

A Costly Decision

Should one attack this threat? Yep. No settling in, no feet. Just a flash of the bat first up.

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

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

Root's Silent Response

Therefore one half of this England team persisted in failing, while at the other end Root batted with immense resolve, but for the team's cause.

Root provided his own quiet rebuke, a success for preparation, addressing your flaws.

England are still in this series because he scaled the peak, delivered a lesson in what ability ultimately means.

Can they dismiss Australia? Can they evolve? Not sure. But Joe Root made a hundred.