🔗 Share this article

In the end, even the celebration was ideal, on the field under that unusual vivid blue southern sky, within the tumult of the match situation – manic Baz energy, England’s lower order scything away with reckless abandon at the other end.

Right. All that drama. Amidst it all, the former captain steered 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. Picture trying to explain why this was not just heartwarming, inspiring and cleansing, but subtly monumental.

A Milestone Preserved in Time

A player who already possessed thirty-nine centuries in this traditional format of a sport has now registered his fortieth. But, consider the journey, the skill, the setbacks.

There'll, of course, be a lot of discussion talk to be hashed out. Does this cement Joe Root's greatness? Does he now rank among Australian greats?

However, there is something further about hoping for Root to be great in Australia. It isn't regarding rivalry. Any Australian who cares for cricket is well aware Root is a world-class cricketer.

The Captain's Hundred as a Reliable Anchor

This ton felt significant in other ways, especially as something solid in the series for this team, a anchor in the difficulty.

Will England triumph at the Gabba? Don’t know. But Joe Root got a hundred. Was Harry Brook's dismissal the poorest shot? Yes. He did.

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

It began with the wings already falling off, and England’s premier batsman coming out at 5/2. A chance was put down early in the slips.

The Contrast in the Crease

As the day progressed, England were 175 for three. Two embodiments of elite Yorkshire grit at the crease.

At one end, Root was playing his natural game, easy, 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 building up for the key spell of the day.

A Reckless Choice

Is it wise to challenge this? Apparently so. No sighters, no feet. Just a flash of the bat first up.

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

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

Root's Silent Rebuke

Therefore 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 delivered his own masterful response, a success for preparation, correcting your flaws.

England are still in this series because he scaled the peak, delivered a lesson in what ability truly means.

Will they take twenty wickets? Will they adapt? It remains to be seen. But Joe Root did score a hundred.