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In the end, the very celebration was ideal, out there under that unusual deep-blue southern sky, amid the chaos of the game-state – manic Baz energy, England’s lower order cutting loose death cult-style at the other end.

Right. All that drama. At the heart, Joe Root guided the ball away past fine leg to secure his maiden Test hundred in Australia.

But, then if you know, you know. Imagine trying to explain the reason this was more than warm, uplifting and cathartic, but profoundly significant.

A Milestone Frozen in Its Own Light

A batsman who already had thirty-nine tons in this starchy formal dance of a sport has now registered his 40th. But, trace the journey, the skill, the twists and turns.

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

Yet there exists something deeper about wishing for Root to be great in Australia. This isn't concerning rivalry. Any Australian who understands cricket recognizes Root is a exceptional cricketer.

Root's Century as a Sturdy Anchor

This ton felt meaningful in other ways, especially as something solid in the series for this team, a handhold in the glacier.

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 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 5/2. A chance was put down early in the slips.

The Contrast in the Middle

By mid-afternoon, England were 3/175. Two versions of elite Yorkshire batting at the crease.

On one side, Root was simply being himself, easy, lithe, watchful. 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 building up for the crucial spell of the day.

A Damaging Choice

Should one attack this threat? Apparently so. No settling in, no feet. Just a flash of the bat first up.

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

It was, if nothing else, novel in its utter failure. We've witnessed England bat in Australia like the Tin Man. Now Brook gave us the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

The Veteran's Steady Rebuke

Thus one half of this England team continued to collapse, while at the other end Root batted with immense resolve, but for everyone else’s too.

Root provided his own masterful response, a victory for preparation, addressing your flaws.

The tourists are still in this series because he did the thing, provided a lesson in what skill truly means.

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