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Finally, even the celebration was perfect, under lights under that unusual intense blue southern sky, within the tumult of the game-state – hyper Baz energy, the English lower order scything away with reckless abandon at the other end.

Indeed. All of that. In the middle, the former captain guided the ball away to fine leg to secure his long-awaited Test hundred in Australia.

But, then if you know, you know. Imagine trying to explain why this was not just warm, uplifting and cathartic, but quietly epic.

A Milestone Preserved in Its Own Light

A man who already had 39 tons in this starchy formal dance of a sport has now registered his 40th. Yet, consider the journey, the craft, the jags in the road.

There will, of course, be plenty of debate talk to be settled. Has Joe Root finally achieved greatness? Does he now rank among Australian greats?

However, there is something further about hoping for Root to be great in Australia. This isn't concerning one-upmanship. Any Australian who cares for cricket already knows Root is a great cricketer.

Root's Century as a Sturdy Handhold

Root’s hundred felt important in other ways, especially as something concrete in the series for this team, a anchor in the ice.

Can England secure victory at the Gabba? It's unclear. 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 superb one in genuinely tough conditions, an innings that could 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

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

At one end, Root was playing his natural game, easy, graceful, alert. At the other, Brook was batting like a man who urgently requires the bathroom.

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

A Costly Decision

Do you run towards this danger? Yep. No settling in, no feet. Just a reckless waft first up.

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

It was at least novel in its complete misjudgment. We have seen England bat in Australia like the Tin Man. This was Brook as the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

The Veteran's Steady Answer

Thus one half of this England team continued to collapse, while at the other end Root batted not just for his life, but for the team's cause.

He delivered his own masterful response, a success for preparation, addressing your flaws.

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

Are they going to bowl Australia out? Are they going to learn? It remains to be seen. But Joe Root made a hundred.