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In the end, the moment of celebration was ideal, out there under that unusual vivid blue southern sky, within the tumult of the match situation – frantic Baz energy, the English lower order cutting loose in a do-or-die manner at the other end.

So yeah. All that stuff. Amidst it all, Joe Root eased the ball away through fine leg to secure his maiden Test hundred in Australia.

But, then if you know, you know. Picture trying to explain the reason this was not just heartwarming, uplifting and cathartic, but profoundly significant.

A Moment Caught in Time

A man who already possessed 39 hundreds in this traditional format of a sport has now scored his fortieth. However, consider the narrative, the artistry, the jags in the road.

There'll, of course, be plenty of debate material to be hashed out. Does this cement Joe Root's greatness? Does he now rank among Australian greats?

Yet there exists something more about wishing for Root to be great in Australia. It isn't regarding rivalry. Every Australian who understands cricket is well aware Root is a great cricketer.

The Captain's Hundred as a Sturdy Handhold

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

Can England secure victory 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 outstanding one in authentically tough conditions, an innings that might just have saved his team in this series.

It had to start with the team in deep trouble, and England’s key batter coming out at 5/2. A chance was put down early in the slips.

The Dichotomy in the Crease

In the afternoon session, England were in a reasonable position. Two embodiments of elite Yorkshire batting at the crease.

At one end, Root was simply being himself, relaxed, graceful, watchful. At the other, 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 building up for the crucial spell of the day.

A Reckless Choice

Do you run towards this danger? Apparently so. No sighters, no feet. Just a flash of the bat first up.

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

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

Root's Steady Rebuke

Thus one half of this England team persisted in failing, while at the other end Root batted not just for his life, but for the entire innings.

He offered his own quiet rebuke, a triumph for preparation, addressing your flaws.

The tourists are still in this series because he scaled the peak, offered a lesson in what talent truly means.

Are they going to bowl Australia out? Will they adapt? Uncertain. But Joe Root compiled a hundred.