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Finally, the very celebration was ideal, under lights under that strange intense blue southern sky, within the tumult of the contest – manic Baz energy, the English lower order cutting loose death cult-style at the other end.

So yeah. All that stuff. In the middle, the former captain 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 why this was not just heartwarming, uplifting and cleansing, but profoundly significant.

An Achievement Frozen in Time

A player who already had thirty-nine tons in this starchy formal dance of a sport has now scored his 40th. However, follow the story, the artistry, the jags in the road.

There'll, of course, be much discussion material to be resolved. Has Joe Root finally achieved greatness? Does he now rank among Australian greats?

However, there is something more about wanting Root to be great in Australia. It isn't regarding one-upmanship. Every Australian who knows about cricket already knows Root is a world-class cricketer.

The Captain's Hundred as a Solid Handhold

The century felt important in other ways, especially as something solid in the series for this team, a foothold 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.

And not just a hundred in Australia, but a superb one in truly tough conditions, an innings that might just have saved his team in this series.

It had to start with the team in deep trouble, and England’s greatest modern player coming out at a dire 5 for 2. Root was dropped early in the slips.

The Dichotomy in the Middle

As the day progressed, England were 3/175. Two versions of elite Yorkshire-dom at the crease.

At one end, Root was playing his natural game, relaxed, graceful, watchful. Meanwhile, Brook was batting like a man who desperately needs the bathroom.

Meanwhile, a dusk was coming, the shadows creeping across the ground, and the swing maestro preparing for the pivotal spell of the day.

A Reckless Stroke

Is it wise to challenge this? Yep. No settling in, no feet. Just a flash of the bat first up.

The ball to Brook was full-length, the edge thick. There is no world where this was a sensible choice.

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

Root's Steady Response

Thus one half of this England team kept faltering, while at the other end Root batted for survival, but for the entire innings.

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

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

Can they dismiss Australia? Are they going to learn? Uncertain. But Joe Root did score a hundred.