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Ultimately, the moment of celebration was ideal, out there under that strange deep-blue southern sky, in the frenzy of the contest – frantic Baz energy, England’s lower order swinging freely in a do-or-die manner at the other end.

So yeah. All that stuff. At the heart, Joe Root steered the ball away through fine leg to notch his first Test hundred in Australia.

But, then if you know, you know. Consider trying to explain the reason this was more than heartwarming, inspiring and cathartic, but profoundly significant.

A Milestone Caught in Time

A batsman who already had 39 hundreds in this starchy formal dance of a sport has now compiled his 40th. Yet, trace the journey, the craft, the jags in the road.

There will, of course, be much discussion material to be settled. Is Joe Root finally great? Is he considered great by Australian standards?

Yet there exists something more about wanting Root to be great in Australia. It’s not about point-scoring. Any Australian who knows about cricket already knows Root is a world-class cricketer.

The Captain's Century as a Sturdy Foundation

The century felt important 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. Did Harry Brook produce a disastrous stroke? Yes. He did.

And not just 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 team in deep trouble, and England’s greatest modern player coming out at 5/2. A chance was put down early in the slips.

The Dichotomy in the Crease

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

At one end, Root was exuding calm, relaxed, lithe, watchful. At the other, Brook was batting like a man who urgently requires the bathroom.

All the while, a dusk was coming, the shadows creeping across the ground, and Mitchell Starc preparing for the pivotal spell of the day.

A Costly Stroke

Is it wise to challenge this? Yep. No settling in, no feet. Just a reckless waft first up.

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

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

The Veteran's Silent Response

And so one half of this England team continued to collapse, while at the other end Root batted not just for his life, but for everyone else’s too.

Root provided his own subtle correction, a success for preparation, addressing your flaws.

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

Will they take twenty wickets? Can they evolve? Not sure. But Joe Root compiled a hundred.