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Ultimately, even the celebration was perfect, out there under that unusual deep-blue southern sky, amid the chaos of the match situation – manic Baz energy, England’s lower order swinging freely death cult-style at the other end.

Indeed. All of that. At the heart, Joe Root guided the ball away to fine leg to notch his maiden Test hundred in Australia.

But, then if you know, you know. Consider trying to explain why this was more than heartwarming, uplifting and cleansing, but subtly monumental.

An Achievement Frozen in Time

A batsman who already had 39 hundreds in this rigorous discipline of a sport has now scored his fortieth. However, follow the journey, the skill, the twists and turns.

There will, of course, be plenty of banter-war talk to be settled. Is Joe Root finally great? Is he considered great by Australian standards?

But there is something deeper about wishing for Root to be great in Australia. It’s not about point-scoring. Every Australian who cares for cricket already knows Root is a great cricketer.

The Captain's Century as a Solid Anchor

Root’s hundred felt meaningful in other ways, especially as something solid in the series for this team, a handhold in the difficulty.

Will England triumph 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 outstanding one in genuinely tough conditions, an innings that may have saved his team in this series.

It began with the early wickets tumbling, and England’s greatest modern player coming out at two wickets down for five runs. A chance was put down early in the slips.

The Juxtaposition in the Middle

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

On one side, Root was playing his natural game, relaxed, graceful, alert. Meanwhile, Brook was batting like a man who urgently requires the bathroom.

All the while, a gloom was coming, shadows creeping across the ground, and the swing maestro preparing for the crucial spell of the day.

A Damaging Choice

Do you run towards this danger? Yep. No settling in, no feet. Just a flash of the bat first up.

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

It was, if nothing else, novel in its complete misjudgment. We've witnessed England bat in Australia without fluidity. Now Brook presented the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

Root's Steady Rebuke

And so one half of this England team persisted in failing, while at the other end Root batted not just for his life, but for the team's cause.

He delivered his own quiet rebuke, a victory for doing your homework, correcting your flaws.

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

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