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In the end, even the celebration was ideal, on the field under that unusual vivid blue southern sky, in the frenzy of the match situation – manic Baz energy, the English lower order cutting loose in a do-or-die manner at the other end.

So yeah. All that stuff. At the heart, the former captain eased the ball away to fine leg to notch his long-awaited Test hundred in Australia.

However, for those who understand, the significance is clear. Imagine trying to explain why this was not just warm, uplifting and cleansing, but profoundly significant.

A Moment Preserved in Time

A player who already had thirty-nine hundreds in this rigorous discipline of a sport has now compiled his fortieth. However, trace the story, the artistry, the jags in the road.

There'll, of course, be a lot of debate material to be settled. Has Joe Root finally achieved greatness? Does he now rank among Australian greats?

However, there is something more about wishing for Root to be great in Australia. It’s not about rivalry. Every Australian who understands cricket already knows Root is a great cricketer.

Root's Hundred as a Sturdy Foundation

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

Are England going to win at the Gabba? Don’t know. But Joe Root got a hundred. Did Harry Brook play... the worst shot yet? Yes. He did.

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

It began with the wings already falling off, and England’s key batter coming out at 5/2. He was given a life early in the slips.

The Juxtaposition in the Middle

In the afternoon session, England were 3/175. Two examples 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 urgently requires the bathroom.

All the while, a dusk was coming, shadows creeping across the ground, and the pink ball genius revving up for the crucial spell of the day.

A Costly Decision

Is it wise to challenge this? Apparently so. No settling in, no feet. Just throw the hands at it first up.

The delivery to Brook was full, the edge thick. There is no world 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. Now Brook presented the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

Root's Steady Response

And so 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 masterful response, a triumph for preparation, working at your flaws.

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

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