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Ultimately, the very celebration was flawless, on the field under that strange intense blue southern sky, within the tumult of the match situation – frantic Baz energy, England’s lower order scything away in a do-or-die manner at the other end.

So yeah. All that stuff. Amidst it all, the former captain eased the ball away to fine leg to complete his first Test hundred in Australia.

Yet, the true meaning resonates with those who have followed the journey. Consider trying to explain the reason this was more than warm, uplifting and cathartic, but subtly monumental.

An Achievement Caught in Its Own Light

A player who already possessed 39 centuries in this traditional format of a sport has now compiled his 40th. However, trace the story, the skill, the twists and turns.

There'll, of course, be plenty of banter-war stuff to be hashed out. Does this cement Joe Root's greatness? Is he considered great by Australian standards?

But there is something more about hoping for Root to be great in Australia. It isn't regarding rivalry. Any Australian who knows about cricket is well aware Root is a world-class cricketer.

The Captain's Hundred as a Reliable Handhold

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

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 brilliant one in genuinely tough conditions, an innings that might just have saved his team in this series.

The innings commenced with the early wickets tumbling, and England’s premier batsman coming out at two wickets down for five runs. Root was dropped early in the slips.

The Juxtaposition in the Middle

As the day progressed, England were in a reasonable position. Two embodiments of elite Yorkshire-dom at the crease.

On one side, Root was simply being himself, easy, lithe, watchful. At the other, Brook was batting like a man who desperately needs the bathroom.

All the while, a gloom was coming, the shadows creeping across the ground, and Mitchell Starc revving up for the pivotal spell of the day.

A Reckless Choice

Do you run towards this danger? Yep. No sighters, no feet. Just a reckless waft first up.

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

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

The Veteran's Silent Rebuke

Thus one half of this England team persisted in failing, while at the other end Root batted for survival, but for everyone else’s too.

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

England are still in this series because he did the thing, provided a lesson in what skill in the end means.

Will they take twenty wickets? Will they adapt? Uncertain. But Joe Root compiled a hundred.