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Finally, the very celebration was ideal, out there under that unusual vivid blue southern sky, in the frenzy of the contest – manic 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 steered the ball away past fine leg to complete his first Test hundred in Australia.

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

A Milestone Preserved in Time

A man who already possessed 39 centuries in this starchy formal dance of a sport has now registered his fortieth. But, follow the journey, the craft, the twists and turns.

There will, of course, be a lot of banter-war material to be hashed out. Has Joe Root finally achieved greatness? Does he now rank among Australian greats?

But there is something more about wanting Root to be great in Australia. It isn't regarding rivalry. Every Australian who knows about cricket recognizes Root is a great cricketer.

The Captain's Century as a Sturdy Foundation

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

Are England going to win 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 might just have saved his team in this series.

It had to start with the early wickets tumbling, and England’s greatest modern player coming out at a dire 5 for 2. Root was dropped early in the slips.

The Dichotomy in the Middle

In the afternoon session, England were in a reasonable position. Two versions of elite Yorkshire batting at the crease.

On one side, Root was simply being himself, relaxed, lithe, alert. At the other, Brook was batting like a man who desperately needs the bathroom.

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

A Reckless Decision

Is it wise to challenge this? Apparently so. No settling in, no feet. Just a flash of the bat first up.

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

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

Root's Quiet Answer

Thus one half of this England team continued to collapse, while at the other end Root batted for survival, but for the team's cause.

He offered his own masterful response, a success for diligence, addressing your flaws.

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

Will they take twenty wickets? Are they going to learn? Uncertain. But Joe Root compiled a hundred.