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Finally, the moment of celebration was flawless, out there under that strange intense blue southern sky, amid the chaos of the contest – hyper Baz energy, the English lower order cutting loose death cult-style at the other end.

Indeed. All of that. Amidst it all, Joe Root steered the ball away past fine leg to secure his maiden Test hundred in Australia.

Yet, the true meaning resonates with those who have followed the journey. Imagine trying to explain why this was not just warm, uplifting and cleansing, but subtly monumental.

A Moment Frozen in Time

A player who already possessed thirty-nine hundreds in this traditional format of a sport has now registered his fortieth. Yet, consider the narrative, the skill, the setbacks.

There will, of course, be a lot of discussion talk to be resolved. Has Joe Root finally achieved greatness? Is he considered great by Australian standards?

Yet there exists something further about wishing for Root to be great in Australia. It isn't regarding one-upmanship. Every Australian who cares for cricket already knows Root is a world-class cricketer.

Root's Hundred as a Reliable Anchor

The century felt important in other ways, particularly as something solid in the series for this team, a anchor in the glacier.

Can England secure victory at the Gabba? It's unclear. But Joe Root got a hundred. Did Harry Brook produce a disastrous stroke? Yes. He did.

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

The innings commenced with the wings already falling off, and England’s greatest modern player coming out at 5/2. He was given a life early in the slips.

The Juxtaposition in the Middle

As the day progressed, England were in a reasonable position. Two examples of elite Yorkshire-dom at the crease.

At one end, Root was playing his natural game, easy, lithe, alert. At the other, Brook was batting like a man who desperately needs the bathroom.

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

A Costly Stroke

Is it wise to challenge this? Yep. No sighters, no feet. Just throw the hands at it first up.

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

It was at least novel in its utter failure. We've witnessed England bat in Australia like a rusted machine. This was Brook as the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

Root's Silent Rebuke

Therefore one half of this England team kept faltering, while at the other end Root batted with immense resolve, but for everyone else’s too.

He offered his own quiet rebuke, a triumph for diligence, working at your flaws.

England are still in this series because he scaled the peak, delivered a lesson in what talent truly means.

Will they take twenty wickets? Will they adapt? It remains to be seen. But Joe Root compiled a hundred.