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Ultimately, the very celebration was ideal, out there under that unique deep-blue southern sky, amid the chaos of the contest – frantic Baz energy, the English lower order cutting loose in a do-or-die manner at the other end.

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

However, for those who understand, the significance is clear. Imagine trying to explain why this was more than heartwarming, inspiring and cathartic, but subtly monumental.

A Moment Caught in Its Own Light

A player who already had thirty-nine tons in this starchy formal dance of a sport has now compiled his 40th. But, follow the journey, the skill, the jags in the road.

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

But there is something more about wishing for Root to be great in Australia. This isn't concerning rivalry. Every Australian who knows about cricket is well aware Root is a world-class cricketer.

The Captain's Century as a Solid Foundation

Root’s hundred felt significant in other ways, especially as something tangible in the series for this team, a handhold in the difficulty.

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 might just have saved his team in this series.

It began with the wings already falling off, and England’s premier batsman coming out at two wickets down for five runs. He was given a life early in the slips.

The Contrast in the Crease

As the day progressed, England were 175 for three. Two versions of elite Yorkshire batting at the crease.

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

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

A Reckless 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-length, the edge clear. There is no context where this was a good choice.

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

Root's Silent 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 the team's cause.

He offered his own quiet rebuke, a success for preparation, addressing your flaws.

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

Will they take twenty wickets? Are they going to learn? It remains to be seen. But Joe Root did score a hundred.