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Finally, the very celebration was flawless, on the field under that unusual deep-blue southern sky, within the tumult of the contest – frantic Baz energy, the English lower order cutting loose with reckless abandon at the other end.

Indeed. All of that. In the middle, the veteran batsman steered the ball away to 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 why this was not just warm, uplifting and cathartic, but quietly epic.

A Milestone Caught in Its Own Light

A player who already possessed 39 centuries in this starchy formal dance of a sport has now compiled his fortieth. However, follow the journey, the craft, the twists and turns.

There will, of course, be much debate talk to be settled. Is Joe Root finally great? Is he considered great by Australian standards?

But there is something deeper about wanting Root to be great in Australia. It’s not about point-scoring. Any Australian who cares for cricket is well aware Root is a great cricketer.

The Captain's Century as a Solid Handhold

The century felt meaningful in other ways, not least as something concrete in the series for this team, a foothold in the difficulty.

Are England going to win at the Gabba? Don’t know. 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 superb one in genuinely tough conditions, an innings that could have saved his team in this series.

It had to start with the wings already falling off, and England’s greatest modern player coming out at two wickets down for five runs. Root was dropped early in the slips.

The Dichotomy in the Crease

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, relaxed, lithe, alert. Meanwhile, Brook was batting like a man who urgently requires the bathroom.

Throughout, a darkness was coming, shadows creeping across the ground, and the pink ball genius preparing for the pivotal spell of the day.

A Reckless Choice

Is it wise to challenge this? Apparently so. No sighters, no feet. Just a reckless waft first up.

The delivery to Brook was full, the edge thick. There is no context where this was a good choice.

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

The Veteran's Steady Rebuke

Thus one half of this England team persisted in failing, while at the other end Root batted for survival, but for the entire innings.

He offered his own masterful response, a triumph for diligence, working at your flaws.

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

Can they dismiss Australia? Can they evolve? Not sure. But Joe Root made a hundred.