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Ultimately, even the celebration was ideal, on the field under that unusual deep-blue southern sky, amid the chaos of the match situation – frantic Baz energy, England’s lower order cutting loose with reckless abandon at the other end.

So yeah. All that stuff. At the heart, Joe Root guided the ball away past fine leg to secure his first Test hundred in Australia.

However, for those who understand, the significance is clear. Imagine trying to explain why this was more than warm, inspiring and cathartic, but profoundly significant.

An Achievement Caught in Time

A player who already possessed thirty-nine hundreds in this traditional format of a sport has now compiled his fortieth. But, consider the journey, the craft, the setbacks.

There'll, of course, be plenty of debate stuff to be hashed out. Has Joe Root finally achieved greatness? Is he considered great by Australian standards?

Yet there exists something further about hoping for Root to be great in Australia. It’s not about point-scoring. Any Australian who cares for cricket already knows Root is a great cricketer.

Root's Century as a Reliable Anchor

The century felt significant in other ways, especially as something concrete in the series for this team, a handhold in the ice.

Are England going to win 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 superb one in truly tough conditions, an innings that might just have saved his team in this series.

The innings commenced with the team in deep trouble, and England’s key batter coming out at 5/2. Root was dropped early in the slips.

The Dichotomy in the Crease

As the day progressed, England were in a reasonable position. Two versions of elite Yorkshire grit at the crease.

At one end, Root was simply being himself, easy, graceful, watchful. At the other, Brook was batting like a man who urgently requires the bathroom.

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

A Reckless Decision

Do you run towards this danger? Yep. No sighters, no feet. Just throw the hands at it first up.

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

It was at least novel in its complete misjudgment. We have seen England bat in Australia like a rusted machine. Now Brook presented the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

The Veteran's Quiet Rebuke

And so one half of this England team kept faltering, while at the other end Root batted not just for his life, but for the team's cause.

He delivered his own quiet rebuke, a victory for doing your homework, 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.

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