🔗 Share this article Majestic Joe Root Revels in Australian Glory at Long Last but Harry Brook's Mistake May Come at a Price Finally, the moment of celebration was perfect, on the field under that unusual deep-blue southern sky, in the frenzy of the game-state – manic Baz energy, England’s lower order scything away in a do-or-die manner at the other end. Right. All that drama. Amidst it all, Joe Root eased the ball away to fine leg to notch his first Test hundred in Australia. But, then if you know, you know. Consider trying to explain why this was not just heartwarming, inspiring and cleansing, but profoundly significant. An Achievement Caught in Time A player who already possessed 39 centuries in this starchy formal dance of a sport has now scored his fortieth. Yet, trace the journey, the artistry, the jags in the road. There'll, of course, be plenty of banter-war talk to be settled. Is Joe Root finally great? Is he *Australian* great? But there is something further about wishing for Root to be great in Australia. It’s not about rivalry. Every Australian who knows about cricket already knows Root is a world-class cricketer. Root's Century as a Reliable Handhold The century felt important in other ways, especially as something solid in the series for this team, a foothold in the glacier. Are England going to win 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 brilliant one in genuinely tough conditions, an innings that could have saved his team in this series. It had to start with the wings already falling off, and England’s premier batsman coming out at two wickets down for five runs. A chance was put down early in the slips. The Juxtaposition in the Middle By mid-afternoon, England were 3/175. Two versions of elite Yorkshire grit at the crease. On one side, Root was exuding calm, relaxed, graceful, alert. At the other, Brook was batting like a man who urgently requires the bathroom. Meanwhile, a dusk was coming, the shadows creeping across the ground, and the swing maestro building up for the pivotal spell of the day. A Costly Decision Should one attack this threat? Yep. No sighters, no feet. Just a flash of the bat first up. The ball to Brook was full-length, the edge clear. There is no scenario where this was a sensible choice. It was at least novel in its utter failure. We have seen England bat in Australia without fluidity. Now Brook presented the scarecrow, batting without a brain. The Veteran's Silent Response Therefore one half of this England team continued to collapse, while at the other end Root batted for survival, but for the entire innings. He delivered his own subtle correction, a success for preparation, working at your flaws. The tourists are still in this series because he achieved the milestone, offered a lesson in what ability ultimately means. Can they dismiss Australia? Will they adapt? It remains to be seen. But Joe Root made a hundred.