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Finally, the very celebration was flawless, under lights under that strange vivid blue southern sky, amid the chaos of the game-state – frantic Baz energy, the English lower order scything away death cult-style at the other end.

So yeah. All that stuff. Amidst it all, the veteran batsman guided the ball away to fine leg to notch his long-awaited Test hundred in Australia.

But, then if you know, you know. Consider trying to explain the reason this was more than heartwarming, inspiring and cleansing, but profoundly significant.

A Milestone Frozen in Its Own Light

A man who already possessed 39 tons in this starchy formal dance of a sport has now scored his fortieth. Yet, trace the story, the artistry, the twists and turns.

There will, of course, be a lot of debate material to be resolved. Has Joe Root finally achieved greatness? Is he *Australian* great?

But there is something further about wishing for Root to be great in Australia. This isn't concerning rivalry. Any Australian who cares for cricket recognizes Root is a great cricketer.

Root's Century as a Solid Anchor

Root’s hundred felt meaningful in other ways, particularly as something solid in the series for this team, a anchor in the ice.

Are England going to win at the Gabba? Uncertain. But Joe Root got a hundred. Did Harry Brook produce a disastrous stroke? Yes. He did.

This was not merely a hundred in Australia, but a superb one in genuinely tough conditions, an innings that might just have saved his team in this series.

It began with the team in deep trouble, and England’s key batter coming out at 5/2. Root was dropped early in the slips.

The Juxtaposition in the Middle

By mid-afternoon, England were 3/175. Two examples of elite Yorkshire batting at the crease.

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

All the while, a darkness was coming, the shadows creeping across the ground, and Mitchell Starc preparing for the crucial spell of the day.

A Damaging Decision

Is it wise to challenge this? Yes. No sighters, no feet. Just throw the hands at it first up.

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

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

Root's Silent Response

Thus 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 success for preparation, correcting your flaws.

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

Will they take twenty wickets? Are they going to learn? Not sure. But Joe Root made a hundred.