Finally, even the celebration was ideal, under lights under that strange intense blue southern sky, in the frenzy of the contest – hyper Baz energy, England’s lower order swinging freely in a do-or-die manner at the other end.
Right. All that drama. In the middle, the former captain guided the ball away through 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 warm, inspiring and cleansing, but profoundly significant.
A Moment Preserved in Time
A batsman who already had thirty-nine hundreds in this starchy formal dance of a sport has now scored his fortieth. However, follow the journey, the skill, the jags in the road.
There will, of course, be a lot of debate stuff to be hashed out. Is Joe Root finally great? Does he now rank among Australian greats?
But there is something further about wanting Root to be great in Australia. It’s not about point-scoring. Every Australian who understands cricket is well aware Root is a great cricketer.
Root's Hundred as a Solid Foundation
This ton felt meaningful in other ways, especially as something solid in the series for this team, a anchor in the ice.
Will England triumph at the Gabba? Don’t know. But Joe Root got a hundred. Did Harry Brook produce a disastrous stroke? Yes. He did.
This was not merely a hundred in Australia, but a superb one in genuinely tough conditions, an innings that could have saved his team in this series.
It had to start with the team in deep trouble, and England’s premier batsman coming out at 5/2. He was given a life early in the slips.
The Contrast in the Middle
By mid-afternoon, England were in a reasonable position. Two versions of elite Yorkshire batting at the crease.
At one end, Root was simply being himself, relaxed, graceful, alert. Meanwhile, Brook was batting like a man who urgently requires the bathroom.
Throughout, a darkness was coming, the shadows creeping across the ground, and Mitchell Starc revving up for the key spell of the day.
A Reckless Choice
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 clear. There is no world where this was a smart choice.
It was, if nothing else, novel in its utter failure. We've witnessed England bat in Australia like a rusted machine. This was Brook as the scarecrow, batting without a brain.
The Veteran's Quiet Rebuke
Thus one half of this England team persisted in failing, while at the other end Root batted for survival, but for the entire innings.
He delivered his own quiet rebuke, a success for diligence, working at your flaws.
The tourists are still in this series because he achieved the milestone, offered a lesson in what skill truly means.
Can they dismiss Australia? Are they going to learn? Not sure. But Joe Root made a hundred.
