🔗 Share this article

In the end, the very celebration was perfect, out there under that strange intense blue southern sky, amid the chaos of the contest – hyper Baz energy, the English lower order scything away with reckless abandon at the other end.

Indeed. All of that. At the heart, the former captain eased the ball away through fine leg to notch his maiden Test hundred in Australia.

But, then if you know, you know. Picture trying to explain why this was not just heartwarming, uplifting and cathartic, but profoundly significant.

An Achievement Preserved in Its Own Light

A player who already possessed thirty-nine hundreds in this starchy formal dance of a sport has now scored his fortieth. But, trace the narrative, the skill, the twists and turns.

There'll, of course, be much banter-war material to be resolved. Has Joe Root finally achieved greatness? Does he now rank among Australian greats?

However, there is something further about wanting Root to be great in Australia. It’s not about one-upmanship. Any Australian who knows about cricket is well aware Root is a exceptional cricketer.

The Captain's Hundred as a Sturdy Anchor

This ton felt significant in other ways, especially as something concrete in the series for this team, a anchor in the difficulty.

Can England secure victory at the Gabba? Don’t know. But Joe Root got a hundred. Did Harry Brook play... the worst shot yet? Yes. He did.

And not just 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 began with the team in deep trouble, and England’s key batter coming out at two wickets down for five runs. Root was dropped early in the slips.

The Dichotomy in the Middle

In the afternoon session, England were 3/175. Two examples of elite Yorkshire grit at the crease.

At one end, Root was exuding calm, easy, graceful, watchful. At the other, Brook was batting like a man who desperately needs the bathroom.

Meanwhile, a darkness was coming, shadows creeping across the ground, and Mitchell Starc revving up for the crucial spell of the day.

A Reckless Decision

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

The delivery to Brook was full-length, the edge healthy. There is no world 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. This was Brook as 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 not just for his life, but for everyone else’s too.

He offered his own subtle correction, a triumph for diligence, correcting your flaws.

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