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In the end, even the celebration was perfect, on the field under that unique deep-blue southern sky, in the frenzy of the game-state – frantic Baz energy, England’s lower order swinging freely with reckless abandon at the other end.

So yeah. All that stuff. In the middle, the veteran batsman guided the ball away past fine leg to complete his first Test hundred in Australia.

But, then if you know, you know. Consider trying to explain why this was not just heartwarming, uplifting and cathartic, but subtly monumental.

An Achievement Caught in Time

A man who already possessed thirty-nine hundreds in this starchy formal dance of a sport has now compiled his 40th. However, follow the narrative, the craft, the setbacks.

There will, of course, be plenty of discussion talk to be hashed out. Does this cement Joe Root's greatness? Does he now rank among Australian greats?

Yet there exists something further about wanting Root to be great in Australia. It isn't regarding one-upmanship. Any Australian who cares for cricket is well aware Root is a great cricketer.

Root's Hundred as a Reliable Anchor

The century felt significant in other ways, not least as something tangible in the series for this team, a handhold in the glacier.

Are England going to win at the Gabba? Don’t know. But Joe Root got a hundred. Did Harry Brook produce a disastrous stroke? Yes. He did.

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

The innings commenced with the team in deep trouble, and England’s greatest modern player coming out at two wickets down for five runs. Root was dropped early in the slips.

The Juxtaposition in the Crease

As the day progressed, England were 3/175. Two embodiments of elite Yorkshire grit at the crease.

At one end, Root was exuding calm, relaxed, lithe, watchful. At the other, Brook was batting like a man who desperately needs the bathroom.

Meanwhile, a darkness was coming, shadows creeping across the ground, and the pink ball genius preparing for the key spell of the day.

A Damaging Stroke

Is it wise to challenge this? Apparently so. No sighters, 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 smart choice.

It was, if nothing else, novel in its abjectness. We've witnessed England bat in Australia like the Tin Man. This was Brook as the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

The Veteran's Quiet Rebuke

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 subtle correction, a victory for diligence, addressing your flaws.

The tourists are still in this series because he did the thing, delivered a lesson in what ability truly means.

Can they dismiss Australia? Will they adapt? Uncertain. But Joe Root did score a hundred.