🔗 Share this article

Ultimately, the very celebration was perfect, under lights under that strange intense blue southern sky, within the tumult of the contest – frantic Baz energy, England’s lower order scything away in a do-or-die manner at the other end.

Right. All that drama. Amidst it all, the former captain eased the ball away through fine leg to complete his first Test hundred in Australia.

Yet, the true meaning resonates with those who have followed the journey. Picture trying to explain the reason this was not just warm, inspiring and cleansing, but quietly epic.

A Moment Frozen in Its Own Light

A man who already possessed thirty-nine hundreds in this traditional format of a sport has now scored his 40th. But, trace the journey, the craft, the setbacks.

There will, of course, be a lot of debate stuff to be resolved. Does this cement Joe Root's greatness? Is he considered great by Australian standards?

However, there is something deeper about wishing for Root to be great in Australia. This isn't concerning one-upmanship. Every Australian who understands cricket already knows Root is a great cricketer.

The Captain's Hundred as a Reliable Foundation

This ton felt important in other ways, not least as something concrete in the series for this team, a handhold in the glacier.

Can England secure victory at the Gabba? Uncertain. 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.

The innings commenced with the wings already falling off, and England’s key batter coming out at 5/2. A chance was put down early in the slips.

The Juxtaposition in the Middle

By mid-afternoon, England were 175 for three. Two embodiments of elite Yorkshire batting at the crease.

At one end, Root was exuding calm, easy, lithe, watchful. Meanwhile, Brook was batting like a man who urgently requires the bathroom.

Throughout, a gloom was coming, the shadows creeping across the ground, and the swing maestro building up for the crucial spell of the day.

A Costly Stroke

Should one attack this threat? Yes. No settling in, no feet. Just a reckless waft first up.

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

It was, if nothing else, novel in its abjectness. We've witnessed England bat in Australia without fluidity. This was Brook as the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

Root's Silent Answer

Thus one half of this England team persisted in failing, while at the other end Root batted not just for his life, but for everyone else’s too.

He delivered his own subtle correction, a triumph for preparation, addressing your flaws.

England are still in this series because he achieved the milestone, provided a lesson in what ability ultimately means.

Are they going to bowl Australia out? Will they adapt? It remains to be seen. But Joe Root made a hundred.