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Ultimately, the moment of celebration was ideal, under lights under that unique deep-blue southern sky, amid the chaos of the match situation – hyper Baz energy, England’s lower order swinging freely in a do-or-die manner at the other end.

Indeed. All of that. Amidst it all, the former captain guided the ball away to fine leg to complete his maiden Test hundred in Australia.

But, then if you know, you know. Imagine trying to explain the reason this was more than heartwarming, inspiring and cleansing, but quietly epic.

A Milestone Frozen in Time

A man who already possessed 39 tons in this rigorous discipline of a sport has now compiled his fortieth. Yet, trace the story, the craft, the setbacks.

There'll, of course, be plenty of banter-war stuff to be resolved. Is Joe Root finally great? Is he considered great by Australian standards?

But there is something further about wanting Root to be great in Australia. It’s not about point-scoring. Any Australian who understands cricket is well aware Root is a exceptional cricketer.

Root's Hundred as a Solid Foundation

Root’s hundred felt meaningful in other ways, particularly as something tangible in the series for this team, a anchor in the difficulty.

Will England triumph at the Gabba? It's unclear. But Joe Root got a hundred. Was Harry Brook's dismissal the poorest shot? Yes. He did.

And not just a hundred in Australia, but a brilliant one in genuinely tough conditions, an innings that might just have saved his team in this series.

It had to start with the wings already falling off, and England’s key batter coming out at 5/2. Root was dropped early in the slips.

The Contrast in the Crease

In the afternoon session, England were 175 for three. Two embodiments of elite Yorkshire batting at the crease.

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

Meanwhile, a gloom was coming, shadows creeping across the ground, and the swing maestro preparing for the key spell of the day.

A Damaging Stroke

Should one attack this threat? Yep. No settling in, no feet. Just throw the hands at it first up.

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

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

Root's Silent Answer

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

He offered his own quiet rebuke, a triumph for diligence, working at your flaws.

The tourists are still in this series because he achieved the milestone, provided a lesson in what talent in the end means.

Are they going to bowl Australia out? Can they evolve? It remains to be seen. But Joe Root did score a hundred.