🔗 Share this article Majestic Joe Root Glories in Aussie Glory at Long Last but Brook’s Error May Prove Costly In the end, the moment of celebration was ideal, on the field under that strange vivid blue southern sky, in the frenzy of the contest – manic Baz energy, the English lower order scything away in a do-or-die manner at the other end. So yeah. All that stuff. At the heart, Joe Root guided the ball away to fine leg to complete his long-awaited Test hundred in Australia. But, then if you know, you know. Picture trying to explain why this was not just heartwarming, uplifting and cleansing, but profoundly significant. A Milestone Caught in Time A batsman who already possessed 39 hundreds in this traditional format of a sport has now compiled his fortieth. However, consider the story, the craft, the twists and turns. There'll, of course, be plenty of banter-war material to be hashed out. Is Joe Root finally great? Is he *Australian* great? Yet there exists something more about wishing for Root to be great in Australia. This isn't concerning point-scoring. Any Australian who knows about cricket already knows Root is a great cricketer. The Captain's Hundred as a Reliable Handhold The century felt meaningful in other ways, not least as something tangible in the series for this team, a anchor in the glacier. Can England secure victory at the Gabba? Uncertain. But Joe Root got a hundred. Did Harry Brook play... the worst shot yet? Yes. He did. And not just a hundred in Australia, but a brilliant one in truly tough conditions, an innings that might just have saved his team in this series. It began with the team in deep trouble, and England’s greatest modern player coming out at a dire 5 for 2. A chance was put down early in the slips. The Dichotomy in the Middle By mid-afternoon, England were 175 for three. Two versions of elite Yorkshire batting at the crease. At one end, Root was playing his natural game, relaxed, lithe, watchful. Meanwhile, Brook was batting like a man who urgently requires the bathroom. Meanwhile, a gloom was coming, the shadows creeping across the ground, and Mitchell Starc preparing for the crucial spell of the day. A Reckless Choice Should one attack this threat? Yes. No settling in, no feet. Just a flash of the bat first up. The delivery to Brook was full, the edge thick. There is no world where this was a sensible 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. Root's Silent Rebuke And so one half of this England team persisted in failing, while at the other end Root batted for survival, but for the team's cause. He offered his own subtle correction, a triumph for preparation, working at your flaws. England are still in this series because he achieved the milestone, provided a lesson in what ability ultimately means. Are they going to bowl Australia out? Are they going to learn? Uncertain. But Joe Root compiled a hundred.