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Ultimately, even the celebration was flawless, out there under that unique deep-blue southern sky, amid the chaos of the game-state – manic Baz energy, the English lower order swinging freely death cult-style at the other end.

So yeah. All that stuff. In the middle, the former captain steered the ball away through fine leg to secure his long-awaited Test hundred in Australia.

Yet, the true meaning resonates with those who have followed the journey. Consider trying to explain the reason this was not just warm, inspiring and cleansing, but quietly epic.

An Achievement Preserved in Time

A batsman who already had 39 hundreds in this rigorous discipline of a sport has now registered his fortieth. However, follow the narrative, the artistry, the twists and turns.

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

But there is something more about wishing for Root to be great in Australia. It isn't regarding point-scoring. Every Australian who knows about cricket recognizes Root is a great cricketer.

The Captain's Hundred as a Reliable Handhold

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

Can England secure victory 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 brilliant one in truly tough conditions, an innings that could have saved his team in this series.

It had to start with the team in deep trouble, and England’s greatest modern player coming out at 5/2. He was given a life early in the slips.

The Dichotomy in the Crease

In the afternoon session, England were in a reasonable position. Two embodiments of elite Yorkshire batting at the crease.

At one end, Root was exuding calm, relaxed, graceful, watchful. At the other, Brook was batting like a man who urgently requires the bathroom.

Throughout, a darkness was coming, shadows creeping across the ground, and the swing maestro building up for the pivotal spell of the day.

A Reckless Stroke

Should one attack this threat? Yep. No settling in, no feet. Just a reckless waft first up.

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

It was, if nothing else, novel in its complete misjudgment. We've witnessed England bat in Australia like a rusted machine. Now Brook presented the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

The Veteran's Quiet Response

Thus one half of this England team continued to collapse, while at the other end Root batted for survival, but for the team's cause.

Root provided his own quiet rebuke, a success for preparation, working at your flaws.

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

Will they take twenty wickets? Will they adapt? Uncertain. But Joe Root did score a hundred.