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In the end, the very celebration was ideal, under lights under that unique intense blue southern sky, amid the chaos of the game-state – frantic Baz energy, the English lower order scything away with reckless abandon at the other end.

Indeed. All of that. Amidst it all, Joe Root eased the ball away past fine leg to complete his first Test hundred in Australia.

Yet, the true meaning resonates with those who have followed the journey. Imagine trying to explain the reason this was more than heartwarming, inspiring and cleansing, but quietly epic.

A Milestone Preserved in Its Own Light

A batsman who already had 39 tons in this traditional format of a sport has now compiled his 40th. Yet, consider the journey, the craft, the jags in the road.

There will, of course, be much banter-war material to be resolved. Is Joe Root finally great? Is he considered great by Australian standards?

But there is something deeper about hoping for Root to be great in Australia. It’s not about rivalry. Any Australian who understands cricket is well aware Root is a exceptional cricketer.

The Captain's Century as a Sturdy Handhold

The century felt important in other ways, not least as something solid in the series for this team, a handhold in the glacier.

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.

This was not merely a hundred in Australia, but a outstanding one in authentically tough conditions, an innings that might just 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. Root was dropped early in the slips.

The Dichotomy in the Crease

By mid-afternoon, England were 175 for three. Two embodiments of elite Yorkshire grit at the crease.

On one side, Root was exuding calm, relaxed, graceful, alert. Meanwhile, Brook was batting like a man who desperately needs the bathroom.

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

A Reckless Stroke

Do you run towards this danger? Apparently so. No sighters, no feet. Just a flash of the bat first up.

The delivery to Brook was full, the edge thick. There is no scenario where this was a sensible choice.

It was at least novel in its abjectness. We've witnessed England bat in Australia like a rusted machine. Now Brook gave us the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

The Veteran's Quiet Response

And so one half of this England team persisted in failing, while at the other end Root batted for survival, but for the team's cause.

Root provided his own subtle correction, a victory for diligence, addressing your flaws.

The tourists are still in this series because he scaled the peak, delivered a lesson in what ability truly means.

Will they take twenty wickets? Can they evolve? Not sure. But Joe Root did score a hundred.