🔗 Share this article Sublime Joe Root Basks in Australian Glory at Long Last but Brook’s Folly Could Be Costly Ultimately, the very celebration was perfect, on the field under that unique deep-blue southern sky, within the tumult of the game-state – hyper Baz energy, England’s lower order swinging freely death cult-style at the other end. Right. All that drama. Amidst it all, Joe Root guided the ball away to fine leg to complete his maiden Test hundred in Australia. However, for those who understand, the significance is clear. Picture trying to explain why this was more than warm, uplifting and cleansing, but subtly monumental. A Moment Preserved in Its Own Light A player who already had 39 centuries in this traditional format of a sport has now registered his fortieth. Yet, trace the story, the artistry, the twists and turns. There will, of course, be much discussion stuff to be hashed out. Does this cement Joe Root's greatness? Does he now rank among Australian greats? Yet there exists something further about hoping for Root to be great in Australia. It’s not about rivalry. Any Australian who cares for cricket already knows Root is a great cricketer. The Captain's Hundred as a Solid Anchor Root’s hundred felt important in other ways, not least as something solid in the series for this team, a foothold in the glacier. Are England going to win 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 brilliant one in genuinely 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 premier batsman coming out at a dire 5 for 2. He was given a life early in the slips. The Contrast in the Crease By mid-afternoon, England were 175 for three. Two embodiments of elite Yorkshire grit at the crease. On one side, Root was simply being himself, easy, graceful, alert. At the other, Brook was batting like a man who desperately needs the bathroom. Throughout, a gloom was coming, shadows creeping across the ground, and the pink ball genius preparing for the crucial spell of the day. A Costly Stroke Should one attack this threat? Yep. No settling in, no feet. Just throw the hands at it first up. The delivery to Brook was full-length, the edge clear. There is no scenario where this was a sensible 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 Steady Rebuke Thus one half of this England team persisted in failing, while at the other end Root batted not just for his life, but for the entire innings. He offered his own masterful response, a victory for doing your homework, working at your flaws. The tourists are still in this series because he did the thing, delivered a lesson in what ability ultimately means. Can they dismiss Australia? Are they going to learn? Uncertain. But Joe Root made a hundred.