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In the end, the very celebration was ideal, under lights under that unusual intense blue southern sky, in the frenzy of the match situation – manic Baz energy, the English lower order swinging freely in a do-or-die manner at the other end.

Indeed. All of that. In the middle, Joe Root guided the ball away past fine leg to notch his first Test hundred in Australia.

However, for those who understand, the significance is clear. Picture trying to explain the reason this was not just warm, inspiring and cathartic, but subtly monumental.

An Achievement Frozen in Its Own Light

A man who already had 39 hundreds in this traditional format of a sport has now scored his 40th. But, follow the journey, the skill, the twists and turns.

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

But there is something further about wishing for Root to be great in Australia. This isn't concerning one-upmanship. Every Australian who knows about cricket already knows Root is a world-class cricketer.

The Captain's Century as a Reliable Anchor

Root’s hundred felt meaningful in other ways, especially as something tangible in the series for this team, a foothold in the ice.

Can England secure victory at the Gabba? Uncertain. 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 outstanding one in truly tough conditions, an innings that could have saved his team in this series.

It had to start with the early wickets tumbling, and England’s greatest modern player coming out at 5/2. A chance was put down early in the slips.

The Juxtaposition in the Middle

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

At one end, Root was playing his natural game, easy, lithe, watchful. Meanwhile, Brook was batting like a man who desperately needs the bathroom.

Throughout, a darkness was coming, shadows creeping across the ground, and the pink ball genius building up for the pivotal spell of the day.

A Costly Decision

Do you run towards this danger? Yes. No sighters, no feet. Just a flash of the bat first up.

The ball to Brook was full, the edge healthy. There is no scenario where this was a smart choice.

It was, if nothing else, novel in its abjectness. We have seen England bat in Australia like a rusted machine. This was Brook as the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

Root's Silent Response

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

He delivered his own masterful response, a success for preparation, addressing your flaws.

The tourists are still in this series because he achieved the milestone, offered a lesson in what ability ultimately means.

Will they take twenty wickets? Can they evolve? Not sure. But Joe Root made a hundred.