🔗 Share this article

Finally, even the celebration was flawless, out there under that unusual vivid blue southern sky, within the tumult of the contest – manic Baz energy, England’s lower order scything away with reckless abandon at the other end.

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

Yet, the true meaning resonates with those who have followed the journey. Picture trying to explain the reason this was more than warm, inspiring and cleansing, but subtly monumental.

A Moment Caught in Its Own Light

A man who already possessed 39 tons in this traditional format of a sport has now compiled his 40th. Yet, consider the story, the artistry, the jags in the road.

There will, of course, be plenty of discussion stuff to be settled. Does this cement Joe Root's greatness? 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 point-scoring. Every Australian who cares for cricket already knows Root is a world-class cricketer.

Root's Hundred as a Sturdy Handhold

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

Will England triumph 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 superb one in truly tough conditions, an innings that could have saved his team in this series.

The innings commenced with the team in deep trouble, and England’s key batter coming out at a dire 5 for 2. A chance was put down early in the slips.

The Dichotomy in the Crease

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

On one side, Root was playing his natural game, relaxed, lithe, alert. Meanwhile, Brook was batting like a man who desperately needs the bathroom.

All the while, a gloom was coming, shadows creeping across the ground, and the swing maestro preparing for the crucial spell of the day.

A Damaging Decision

Should one attack this threat? Yep. No sighters, no feet. Just a flash of the bat first up.

The delivery to Brook was full, the edge clear. There is no context where this was a sensible choice.

It was, if nothing else, novel in its complete misjudgment. We've witnessed England bat in Australia like a rusted machine. Now Brook presented the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

The Veteran's Steady Rebuke

Therefore 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.

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, offered a lesson in what skill ultimately means.

Can they dismiss Australia? Can they evolve? It remains to be seen. But Joe Root made a hundred.