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Finally, the moment of celebration was flawless, on the field under that unique intense blue southern sky, amid the chaos of the game-state – manic Baz energy, England’s lower order swinging freely death cult-style at the other end.

Right. All that drama. In the middle, the veteran batsman eased the ball away past fine leg to secure his first Test hundred in Australia.

But, then if you know, you know. Consider trying to explain the reason this was not just heartwarming, inspiring and cathartic, but profoundly significant.

A Milestone Preserved in Time

A batsman who already had 39 hundreds in this rigorous discipline of a sport has now compiled his fortieth. But, follow the journey, the skill, the jags in the road.

There will, of course, be a lot of discussion stuff to be hashed out. Has Joe Root finally achieved greatness? Is he *Australian* great?

Yet there exists something deeper about wishing for Root to be great in Australia. It isn't regarding one-upmanship. Any Australian who understands cricket recognizes Root is a exceptional cricketer.

The Captain's Century as a Reliable Handhold

Root’s hundred felt meaningful in other ways, especially as something tangible in the series for this team, a foothold in the ice.

Are England going to win at the Gabba? Don’t know. But Joe Root got a hundred. Was Harry Brook's dismissal the poorest shot? Yes. He did.

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

It began with the team in deep trouble, and England’s premier batsman coming out at two wickets down for five runs. Root was dropped early in the slips.

The Dichotomy in the Middle

In the afternoon session, England were 3/175. Two versions of elite Yorkshire-dom at the crease.

At one end, Root was exuding calm, easy, lithe, watchful. At the other, Brook was batting like a man who desperately needs the bathroom.

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

A Reckless Choice

Do you run towards this danger? Apparently so. No sighters, no feet. Just a flash of the bat first up.

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

It was, if nothing else, novel in its abjectness. We have seen England bat in Australia like a rusted machine. This was Brook as the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

The Veteran's Quiet Answer

Therefore one half of this England team kept faltering, while at the other end Root batted with immense resolve, but for the entire innings.

He offered his own quiet rebuke, a triumph for doing your homework, correcting your flaws.

England are still in this series because he achieved the milestone, provided a lesson in what talent truly means.

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