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Ultimately, the very celebration was ideal, out there under that strange intense blue southern sky, within the tumult of the match situation – hyper Baz energy, England’s lower order cutting loose death cult-style at the other end.

Right. All that drama. Amidst it all, Joe Root eased the ball away to fine leg to secure his long-awaited Test hundred in Australia.

However, for those who understand, the significance is clear. Picture trying to explain why this was more than warm, inspiring and cathartic, but quietly epic.

An Achievement Frozen in Its Own Light

A man who already possessed 39 hundreds in this traditional format of a sport has now registered his 40th. Yet, follow the journey, the artistry, the twists and turns.

There'll, of course, be a lot of banter-war talk to be hashed out. Has Joe Root finally achieved greatness? Does he now rank among Australian greats?

But there is something deeper about wanting Root to be great in Australia. It’s not about point-scoring. Every Australian who cares for cricket recognizes Root is a world-class cricketer.

Root's Hundred as a Reliable Anchor

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

Can England secure victory at the Gabba? Don’t know. But Joe Root got a hundred. Was Harry Brook's dismissal the poorest shot? Yes. He did.

This was not merely a hundred in Australia, but a superb one in authentically tough conditions, an innings that may have saved his team in this series.

It began with the wings already falling off, and England’s key batter coming out at two wickets down for five runs. He was given a life early in the slips.

The Dichotomy in the Middle

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

At one end, Root was simply being himself, easy, lithe, watchful. Meanwhile, 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 Mitchell Starc building up for the pivotal spell of the day.

A Costly Stroke

Should one attack this threat? Apparently so. No sighters, no feet. Just throw the hands at it first up.

The ball to Brook was full, the edge thick. There is no world where this was a good choice.

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

The Veteran's Silent Rebuke

Therefore one half of this England team continued to collapse, 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 triumph for doing your homework, correcting your flaws.

The tourists are still in this series because he achieved the milestone, offered a lesson in what skill ultimately means.

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