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Ultimately, the very celebration was perfect, out there under that unique vivid blue southern sky, within the tumult of the match situation – hyper Baz energy, the English lower order swinging freely with reckless abandon at the other end.

Right. All that drama. Amidst it all, Joe Root eased the ball away through fine leg to notch his maiden Test hundred in Australia.

Yet, the true meaning resonates with those who have followed the journey. Imagine trying to explain the reason this was not just heartwarming, inspiring and cleansing, but profoundly significant.

An Achievement Caught in Time

A player who already had 39 centuries in this traditional format of a sport has now registered his fortieth. But, follow the journey, the craft, the setbacks.

There'll, of course, be a lot of debate material to be resolved. Has Joe Root finally achieved greatness? Is he *Australian* great?

Yet there exists something further about wishing for Root to be great in Australia. It’s not about point-scoring. Every Australian who understands cricket already knows Root is a great cricketer.

The Captain's Hundred as a Solid Anchor

Root’s hundred felt significant in other ways, not least as something tangible in the series for this team, a anchor in the ice.

Will England triumph at the Gabba? Uncertain. But Joe Root got a hundred. Was Harry Brook's dismissal the poorest shot? Yes. He did.

This was not merely a hundred in Australia, but a brilliant one in truly tough conditions, an innings that may have saved his team in this series.

It had to start with the wings already falling off, and England’s key batter coming out at a dire 5 for 2. He was given a life early in the slips.

The Contrast in the Crease

As the day progressed, England were 175 for three. Two versions of elite Yorkshire batting at the crease.

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

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

A Costly Choice

Is it wise to challenge this? Apparently so. 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 good choice.

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

Root's Silent Response

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 offered his own masterful response, a success for preparation, working at your flaws.

The tourists are still in this series because he did the thing, delivered a lesson in what ability ultimately means.

Will they take twenty wickets? Will they adapt? Not sure. But Joe Root made a hundred.