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Ultimately, the very celebration was flawless, under lights under that strange intense blue southern sky, within the tumult of the contest – manic Baz energy, England’s lower order swinging freely death cult-style at the other end.

So yeah. All that stuff. In the middle, the veteran batsman guided the ball away through fine leg to secure his first Test hundred in Australia.

Yet, the true meaning resonates with those who have followed the journey. Consider trying to explain the reason this was not just warm, uplifting and cathartic, but subtly monumental.

An Achievement Frozen in Its Own Light

A player who already had 39 centuries in this traditional format of a sport has now compiled his fortieth. However, follow the story, the artistry, the setbacks.

There will, of course, be plenty of debate talk to be resolved. Is Joe Root finally great? Is he *Australian* great?

However, there is something more about hoping for Root to be great in Australia. This isn't concerning rivalry. Any Australian who understands cricket is well aware Root is a exceptional cricketer.

Root's Century as a Sturdy Handhold

Root’s hundred felt meaningful in other ways, especially as something concrete in the series for this team, a handhold in the glacier.

Can England secure victory at the Gabba? It's unclear. 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 brilliant one in genuinely tough conditions, an innings that might just have saved his team in this series.

It had to start with the early wickets tumbling, and England’s key batter coming out at two wickets down for five runs. A chance was put down early in the slips.

The Juxtaposition in the Middle

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

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

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

A Reckless Stroke

Should one attack this threat? Yes. No settling in, no feet. Just a flash of the bat first up.

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

It was, if nothing else, novel in its utter failure. We have seen England bat in Australia like the Tin Man. Now Brook gave us the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

Root's Quiet Answer

And so one half of this England team kept faltering, while at the other end Root batted with immense resolve, but for everyone else’s too.

He delivered his own quiet rebuke, a success for preparation, addressing your flaws.

England are still in this series because he did the thing, provided a lesson in what talent ultimately means.

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