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Finally, the moment of celebration was perfect, out there under that unique vivid blue southern sky, amid the chaos of the game-state – manic Baz energy, England’s lower order scything away 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 past 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 heartwarming, uplifting and cathartic, but profoundly significant.

A Milestone Caught in Time

A player who already possessed 39 centuries in this traditional format of a sport has now compiled his 40th. Yet, consider the narrative, the craft, the twists and turns.

There'll, of course, be a lot of discussion stuff to be resolved. Is Joe Root finally great? Is he *Australian* great?

But there is something more about wishing for Root to be great in Australia. It’s not about one-upmanship. Any Australian who knows about cricket already knows Root is a exceptional cricketer.

The Captain's Hundred as a Reliable Anchor

Root’s hundred felt significant in other ways, particularly as something tangible in the series for this team, a handhold in the glacier.

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 truly tough conditions, an innings that may have saved his team in this series.

It began with the team in deep trouble, and England’s premier batsman coming out at a dire 5 for 2. A chance was put down early in the slips.

The Juxtaposition in the Crease

As the day progressed, England were 175 for three. Two embodiments of elite Yorkshire grit at the crease.

At one end, Root was exuding calm, relaxed, lithe, alert. Meanwhile, Brook was batting like a man who desperately needs the bathroom.

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

A Damaging Choice

Should one attack this threat? Apparently so. No settling in, no feet. Just a flash of the bat first up.

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

It was, if nothing else, novel in its utter failure. We've witnessed England bat in Australia without fluidity. This was Brook as the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

The Veteran's Silent Answer

Therefore one half of this England team continued to collapse, while at the other end Root batted with immense resolve, but for the entire innings.

He delivered his own masterful response, a victory for diligence, addressing your flaws.

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

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