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Finally, the very celebration was flawless, on the field under that unusual intense blue southern sky, amid the chaos of the contest – hyper Baz energy, the English lower order cutting loose in a do-or-die manner at the other end.

So yeah. All that stuff. At the heart, the veteran batsman steered the ball away to fine leg to notch his first Test hundred in Australia.

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

An Achievement Caught in Its Own Light

A man who already had thirty-nine tons in this traditional format of a sport has now scored his fortieth. However, consider the story, the skill, the twists and turns.

There'll, of course, be much discussion stuff to be resolved. Does this cement Joe Root's greatness? Is he considered great by Australian standards?

However, there is something further about wanting Root to be great in Australia. It’s not about rivalry. Every Australian who knows about cricket is well aware Root is a great cricketer.

Root's Century as a Sturdy Foundation

This ton felt important in other ways, not least as something tangible in the series for this team, a anchor in the ice.

Are England going to win at the Gabba? Uncertain. 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 authentically tough conditions, an innings that might just have saved his team in this series.

It had to start with the wings already falling off, and England’s premier batsman coming out at two wickets down for five runs. He was given a life early in the slips.

The Contrast in the Middle

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

At one end, Root was simply being himself, easy, lithe, 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 the swing maestro revving up for the key spell of the day.

A Costly Choice

Is it wise to challenge this? Yep. No settling in, no feet. Just a flash of the bat first up.

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

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

The Veteran's Quiet Answer

Thus one half of this England team continued to collapse, while at the other end Root batted for survival, but for the team's cause.

He offered his own masterful response, a success for doing your homework, addressing your flaws.

The tourists are still in this series because he did the thing, provided a lesson in what talent in the end means.

Are they going to bowl Australia out? Will they adapt? Not sure. But Joe Root compiled a hundred.