🔗 Share this article

Ultimately, the very celebration was perfect, on the field under that unusual vivid blue southern sky, within the tumult of the match situation – frantic 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 past fine leg to secure his long-awaited 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 cathartic, but quietly epic.

A Milestone Caught in Its Own Light

A player who already possessed thirty-nine hundreds in this traditional format of a sport has now compiled his 40th. But, consider the story, the artistry, the setbacks.

There will, of course, be much debate talk to be resolved. Does this cement Joe Root's greatness? Does he now rank among Australian greats?

But there is something more about hoping for Root to be great in Australia. It’s not about rivalry. Every Australian who understands cricket recognizes Root is a world-class cricketer.

The Captain's Hundred as a Solid Handhold

Root’s hundred felt important in other ways, not least as something tangible in the series for this team, a handhold in the ice.

Will England triumph at the Gabba? Don’t know. 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 brilliant one in truly 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 greatest modern player coming out at a dire 5 for 2. A chance was put down early in the slips.

The Contrast in the Crease

By mid-afternoon, England were in a reasonable position. Two versions of elite Yorkshire grit at the crease.

On one side, Root was simply being himself, relaxed, lithe, watchful. At the other, Brook was batting like a man who desperately needs the bathroom.

Throughout, a dusk was coming, shadows creeping across the ground, and Mitchell Starc preparing for the crucial spell of the day.

A Costly Choice

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

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

It was at least novel in its abjectness. We've witnessed England bat in Australia like a rusted machine. Now Brook gave us the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

The Veteran's Quiet Answer

And so one half of this England team kept faltering, while at the other end Root batted for survival, but for the team's cause.

Root provided his own masterful response, a success for diligence, 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? Uncertain. But Joe Root made a hundred.