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In the end, the very celebration was ideal, on the field under that unusual intense blue southern sky, within the tumult of the contest – manic Baz energy, the English lower order scything away death cult-style at the other end.

So yeah. All that stuff. In the middle, Joe Root eased the ball away past fine leg to complete his maiden Test hundred in Australia.

But, then if you know, you know. Picture trying to explain why this was not just heartwarming, uplifting and cleansing, but quietly epic.

An Achievement Preserved in Time

A man who already possessed 39 centuries in this rigorous discipline of a sport has now registered his 40th. Yet, trace the journey, the skill, the twists and turns.

There will, of course, be plenty of banter-war talk to be hashed out. Has Joe Root finally achieved greatness? Is he considered great by Australian standards?

However, there is something further about wanting Root to be great in Australia. It isn't regarding point-scoring. Any Australian who knows about cricket recognizes Root is a world-class cricketer.

The Captain's Century as a Reliable Handhold

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

Will England triumph 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 brilliant one in truly tough conditions, an innings that could have saved his team in this series.

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

The Dichotomy in the Middle

In the afternoon session, England were 175 for three. Two embodiments of elite Yorkshire grit at the crease.

On one side, Root was exuding calm, easy, graceful, watchful. At the other, Brook was batting like a man who desperately needs the bathroom.

Meanwhile, a gloom was coming, shadows creeping across the ground, and the swing maestro revving up for the key spell of the day.

A Damaging Stroke

Do you run towards this danger? Yep. No settling in, no feet. Just a flash of the bat first up.

The ball to Brook was full-length, the edge clear. There is no scenario 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. This was Brook as the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

The Veteran's Quiet Response

Therefore 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 masterful response, a victory for doing your homework, working at your flaws.

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

Will they take twenty wickets? Are they going to learn? It remains to be seen. But Joe Root compiled a hundred.