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In the end, even the celebration was flawless, on the field under that strange intense 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. At the heart, the veteran batsman eased the ball away through fine leg to complete his long-awaited Test hundred in Australia.

However, for those who understand, the significance is clear. Consider trying to explain the reason this was more than warm, uplifting and cleansing, but subtly monumental.

A Milestone Frozen in Time

A batsman who already had thirty-nine hundreds in this rigorous discipline of a sport has now compiled his fortieth. But, consider the journey, the artistry, the setbacks.

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

But there is something more about wishing for Root to be great in Australia. It’s not about one-upmanship. Every Australian who cares for cricket already knows Root is a world-class cricketer.

The Captain's Hundred as a Reliable Anchor

Root’s hundred felt meaningful in other ways, not least as something solid in the series for this team, a anchor in the ice.

Will England triumph at the Gabba? Don’t know. But Joe Root got a hundred. Did Harry Brook produce a disastrous stroke? Yes. He did.

And not just a hundred in Australia, but a superb one in truly 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 5/2. A chance was put down early in the slips.

The Dichotomy in the Middle

In the afternoon session, England were 3/175. Two versions of elite Yorkshire batting at the crease.

On one side, Root was playing his natural game, relaxed, lithe, alert. At the other, Brook was batting like a man who urgently requires the bathroom.

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

A Damaging Choice

Is it wise to challenge this? Apparently so. No sighters, no feet. Just a reckless waft first up.

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

It was at least novel in its complete misjudgment. We have seen England bat in Australia like the Tin Man. This was Brook as the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

The Veteran's Silent Answer

Therefore one half of this England team continued to collapse, while at the other end Root batted for survival, but for the entire innings.

Root provided his own subtle correction, a victory for doing your homework, working at your flaws.

England are still in this series because he did the thing, offered a lesson in what skill in the end means.

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