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Finally, the very celebration was perfect, under lights under that unique vivid blue southern sky, within the tumult of the contest – hyper 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, the former captain steered 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. Imagine trying to explain why this was not just warm, uplifting and cathartic, but quietly epic.

A Moment Frozen in Time

A batsman who already had 39 tons in this starchy formal dance of a sport has now registered his fortieth. However, consider the story, the artistry, the setbacks.

There'll, of course, be plenty of banter-war stuff to be settled. Has Joe Root finally achieved greatness? Does he now rank among Australian greats?

Yet there exists 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 great cricketer.

The Captain's Hundred as a Sturdy Handhold

Root’s hundred felt important in other ways, not least as something solid in the series for this team, a foothold in the difficulty.

Can England secure victory at the Gabba? Don’t know. But Joe Root got a hundred. Did Harry Brook play... the worst shot yet? Yes. He did.

This was not merely a hundred in Australia, but a superb one in genuinely tough conditions, an innings that might just have saved his team in this series.

It had to start with the early wickets tumbling, and England’s premier batsman coming out at two wickets down for five runs. He was given a life early in the slips.

The Dichotomy 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, graceful, alert. Meanwhile, Brook was batting like a man who urgently requires the bathroom.

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

A Reckless Stroke

Is it wise to challenge this? Apparently so. No sighters, no feet. Just a flash of the bat first up.

The delivery 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 complete misjudgment. We have seen England bat in Australia like the Tin Man. Now Brook gave us the scarecrow, batting without a brain.

The Veteran's Silent Rebuke

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

He delivered his own subtle correction, a triumph for diligence, working at your flaws.

The tourists are still in this series because he scaled the peak, offered a lesson in what skill in the end means.

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