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In the end, the moment of celebration was flawless, on the field under that unusual intense blue southern sky, amid the chaos of the game-state – hyper Baz energy, the English lower order scything away in a do-or-die manner at the other end.

So yeah. All that stuff. In the middle, the former captain guided the ball away to fine leg to notch his first Test hundred in Australia.

But, then if you know, you know. Picture trying to explain the reason this was not just heartwarming, uplifting and cathartic, but subtly monumental.

An Achievement Caught in Its Own Light

A man who already possessed 39 centuries in this rigorous discipline of a sport has now registered his 40th. Yet, trace the narrative, the craft, the jags in the road.

There will, of course, be a lot of banter-war talk to be resolved. Does this cement Joe Root's greatness? Does he now rank among Australian greats?

However, there is something more about hoping for Root to be great in Australia. This isn't concerning rivalry. Any Australian who cares for cricket recognizes Root is a exceptional cricketer.

The Captain's Hundred as a Solid Anchor

The century felt significant in other ways, particularly as something solid in the series for this team, a handhold in the difficulty.

Will England triumph at the Gabba? Uncertain. But Joe Root got a hundred. Did Harry Brook play... the worst shot yet? Yes. He did.

And not just a hundred in Australia, but a superb one in authentically 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 greatest modern player coming out at two wickets down for five runs. A chance was put down early in the slips.

The Contrast in the Middle

By mid-afternoon, England were in a reasonable position. Two examples of elite Yorkshire batting at the crease.

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

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

A Costly Stroke

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

The ball to Brook was full-length, the edge clear. There is no world where this was a sensible choice.

It was at least novel in its complete misjudgment. We've witnessed England bat in Australia without fluidity. Now Brook presented the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

Root's Quiet Answer

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

He delivered his own quiet rebuke, a victory for doing your homework, working at your flaws.

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

Will they take twenty wickets? Can they evolve? Uncertain. But Joe Root compiled a hundred.