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Ultimately, the very celebration was perfect, out there under that strange deep-blue southern sky, in the frenzy of the contest – frantic Baz energy, England’s lower order scything away in a do-or-die manner at the other end.

So yeah. All that stuff. At the heart, the veteran batsman guided the ball away to fine leg to secure his long-awaited Test hundred in Australia.

Yet, the true meaning resonates with those who have followed the journey. Consider trying to explain why this was not just heartwarming, inspiring and cathartic, but quietly epic.

An Achievement Preserved in Its Own Light

A player who already possessed thirty-nine hundreds in this starchy formal dance of a sport has now scored his 40th. However, trace the journey, the craft, the setbacks.

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

But there is something more about wanting Root to be great in Australia. This isn't concerning point-scoring. Any Australian who knows about cricket already knows Root is a world-class cricketer.

The Captain's Century as a Reliable Anchor

This ton felt important in other ways, especially as something concrete 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. Was Harry Brook's dismissal the poorest shot? Yes. He did.

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

It began with the early wickets tumbling, and England’s premier batsman coming out at two wickets down for five runs. A chance was put down early in the slips.

The Juxtaposition in the Crease

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

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

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

A Damaging Decision

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

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

It was at least novel in its complete misjudgment. We have seen England bat in Australia like a rusted machine. Now Brook presented the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

Root's Steady Rebuke

And so one half of this England team continued to collapse, while at the other end Root batted with immense resolve, but for the entire innings.

Root provided his own quiet rebuke, a victory for doing your homework, working at your flaws.

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

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