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Ultimately, the moment of celebration was perfect, out there under that unusual intense blue southern sky, in the frenzy of the contest – frantic Baz energy, the English lower order swinging freely death cult-style at the other end.

Indeed. All of that. At the heart, the veteran batsman steered the ball away past fine leg to notch his maiden Test hundred in Australia.

However, for those who understand, the significance is clear. Imagine trying to explain the reason this was not just heartwarming, uplifting and cathartic, but profoundly significant.

A Milestone Frozen in Time

A player who already possessed 39 hundreds in this starchy formal dance of a sport has now compiled his 40th. Yet, trace the journey, the artistry, the twists and turns.

There will, of course, be a lot of discussion talk to be hashed out. Has Joe Root finally achieved greatness? Is he *Australian* great?

However, there is something more about hoping 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 Solid Handhold

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

Will England triumph at the Gabba? Uncertain. But Joe Root got a hundred. Was Harry Brook's dismissal the poorest shot? Yes. He did.

And not just a hundred in Australia, but a superb one in authentically tough conditions, an innings that might just have saved his team in this series.

The innings commenced with the wings already falling off, and England’s greatest modern player coming out at two wickets down for five runs. A chance was put down early in the slips.

The Contrast in the Crease

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

At one end, Root was playing his natural game, relaxed, lithe, watchful. Meanwhile, Brook was batting like a man who desperately needs the bathroom.

Meanwhile, a dusk was coming, the shadows creeping across the ground, and Mitchell Starc revving up for the pivotal spell of the day.

A Damaging Stroke

Do you run towards this danger? Yes. No sighters, no feet. Just throw the hands at it first up.

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

It was at least novel in its abjectness. We've witnessed England bat in Australia like the Tin Man. This was Brook as the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

Root's Quiet Response

And so one half of this England team kept faltering, while at the other end Root batted not just for his life, but for the entire innings.

Root provided his own subtle correction, a success for doing your homework, addressing your flaws.

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

Will they take twenty wickets? Are they going to learn? Uncertain. But Joe Root did score a hundred.