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Ultimately, the moment of celebration was ideal, out there under that unusual deep-blue southern sky, in the frenzy of the contest – manic Baz energy, England’s lower order scything away with reckless abandon at the other end.

Right. All that drama. Amidst it all, the veteran batsman steered the ball away past fine leg to notch his long-awaited Test hundred in Australia.

Yet, the true meaning resonates with those who have followed the journey. Imagine trying to explain why this was more than heartwarming, inspiring and cleansing, but quietly epic.

A Moment Frozen in Time

A player who already had 39 hundreds in this starchy formal dance of a sport has now compiled his fortieth. However, consider the journey, the artistry, the jags in the road.

There will, of course, be much banter-war material to be settled. Has Joe Root finally achieved greatness? Is he *Australian* great?

Yet there exists something deeper about wanting Root to be great in Australia. It isn't regarding point-scoring. Any Australian who cares for cricket already knows Root is a exceptional cricketer.

The Captain's Hundred as a Solid Handhold

This ton felt important in other ways, particularly as something tangible in the series for this team, a foothold in the glacier.

Can England secure victory at the Gabba? It's unclear. But Joe Root got a hundred. Did Harry Brook play... the worst shot yet? Yes. He did.

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

It began with the wings already falling off, and England’s greatest modern player coming out at two wickets down for five runs. He was given a life early in the slips.

The Dichotomy in the Middle

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

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

All the while, a dusk was coming, the shadows creeping across the ground, and Mitchell Starc preparing for the pivotal spell of the day.

A Reckless Stroke

Is it wise to challenge this? Yes. No settling in, no feet. Just a reckless waft first up.

The ball to Brook was full-length, 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. Now Brook presented the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

Root's Steady Rebuke

Therefore one half of this England team persisted in failing, while at the other end Root batted with immense resolve, but for everyone else’s too.

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

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

Will they take twenty wickets? Are they going to learn? It remains to be seen. But Joe Root made a hundred.