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Finally, the moment of celebration was flawless, under lights under that unusual intense blue southern sky, amid the chaos of the game-state – hyper Baz energy, England’s lower order cutting loose in a do-or-die manner at the other end.

So yeah. All that stuff. At the heart, the veteran batsman eased the ball away through fine leg to secure his first Test hundred in Australia.

But, then if you know, you know. Imagine trying to explain the reason this was more than heartwarming, uplifting and cathartic, but profoundly significant.

A Milestone Caught in Its Own Light

A man who already possessed thirty-nine tons in this traditional format of a sport has now registered his 40th. But, follow the story, the craft, the setbacks.

There'll, of course, be much banter-war stuff to be hashed out. Does this cement Joe Root's greatness? Is he considered great by Australian standards?

Yet there exists something deeper about wanting Root to be great in Australia. This isn't concerning point-scoring. Any Australian who knows about cricket recognizes Root is a great cricketer.

Root's Century as a Reliable Anchor

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

Are England going to win at the Gabba? Uncertain. 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 superb one in truly tough conditions, an innings that may have saved his team in this series.

The innings commenced with the wings already falling off, and England’s key batter coming out at a dire 5 for 2. He was given a life early in the slips.

The Juxtaposition in the Middle

As the day progressed, England were 175 for three. Two embodiments of elite Yorkshire-dom at the crease.

On one side, Root was simply being himself, relaxed, graceful, alert. Meanwhile, Brook was batting like a man who urgently requires the bathroom.

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

A Damaging Stroke

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

The delivery to Brook was full, the edge healthy. There is no world where this was a smart choice.

It was, if nothing else, novel in its complete misjudgment. We have seen England bat in Australia like the Tin Man. This was Brook as the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

Root's Quiet Rebuke

Thus one half of this England team kept faltering, while at the other end Root batted not just for his life, but for everyone else’s too.

He delivered his own quiet rebuke, a success for diligence, correcting your flaws.

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

Are they going to bowl Australia out? Are they going to learn? It remains to be seen. But Joe Root made a hundred.