🔗 Share this article

In the end, the very celebration was flawless, on the field under that unusual vivid blue southern sky, within the tumult of the game-state – manic Baz energy, the English lower order scything away in a do-or-die manner at the other end.

So yeah. All that stuff. Amidst it all, the former captain steered the ball away through fine leg to notch his first Test hundred in Australia.

Yet, the true meaning resonates with those who have followed the journey. Picture trying to explain the reason this was more than warm, uplifting and cleansing, but profoundly significant.

A Milestone Frozen in Time

A batsman who already possessed 39 hundreds in this starchy formal dance of a sport has now registered his 40th. But, trace the story, the artistry, the twists and turns.

There'll, of course, be much banter-war talk to be resolved. Does this cement Joe Root's greatness? Is he *Australian* great?

Yet there exists something more about wanting Root to be great in Australia. It’s not about rivalry. Any Australian who cares for cricket recognizes Root is a great cricketer.

Root's Century as a Reliable Handhold

Root’s hundred felt important in other ways, not least as something concrete in the series for this team, a anchor in the glacier.

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

The innings commenced with the early wickets tumbling, and England’s premier batsman coming out at two wickets down for five runs. Root was dropped early in the slips.

The Contrast in the Crease

As the day progressed, England were 175 for three. Two examples of elite Yorkshire grit at the crease.

On one side, Root was exuding calm, easy, lithe, alert. Meanwhile, Brook was batting like a man who urgently requires the bathroom.

All the while, a darkness was coming, shadows creeping across the ground, and Mitchell Starc revving up for the crucial spell of the day.

A Reckless Choice

Do you run towards this danger? Yep. No sighters, no feet. Just a reckless waft first up.

The ball to Brook was full-length, the edge clear. There is no context 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. This was Brook as the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

The Veteran's Steady Answer

Thus one half of this England team continued to collapse, while at the other end Root batted for survival, but for everyone else’s too.

He offered his own subtle correction, a triumph for doing your homework, addressing your flaws.

England are still in this series because he achieved the milestone, offered a lesson in what ability truly means.

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