🔗 Share this article Sublime Root Revels in Australian Glory at Finally but Harry Brook's Mistake Could Come at a Price Finally, the very celebration was ideal, out there under that unique intense blue southern sky, within the tumult of the game-state – frantic Baz energy, the English lower order swinging freely death cult-style at the other end. Right. All that drama. In the middle, Joe Root guided the ball away to fine leg to notch his first Test hundred in Australia. But, then if you know, you know. Imagine trying to explain the reason this was more than heartwarming, inspiring and cathartic, but subtly monumental. An Achievement Preserved in Its Own Light A player who already had thirty-nine centuries in this rigorous discipline of a sport has now scored his 40th. However, consider the narrative, the skill, the twists and turns. There'll, of course, be much discussion talk to be hashed out. Is Joe Root finally great? Is he considered great by Australian standards? Yet there exists something further about wanting Root to be great in Australia. It’s not about one-upmanship. Every Australian who knows about cricket already knows Root is a world-class cricketer. The Captain's Century as a Sturdy Anchor This ton felt significant in other ways, particularly as something solid in the series for this team, a foothold 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. This was not merely a hundred in Australia, but a brilliant one in truly tough conditions, an innings that may have saved his team in this series. The innings commenced with the early wickets tumbling, and England’s greatest modern player coming out at 5/2. Root was dropped early in the slips. The Dichotomy in the Crease In the afternoon session, England were 175 for three. Two embodiments of elite Yorkshire grit at the crease. At one end, Root was playing his natural game, easy, lithe, watchful. Meanwhile, Brook was batting like a man who urgently requires the bathroom. Throughout, a darkness was coming, shadows creeping across the ground, and Mitchell Starc building up for the crucial spell of the day. A Costly Decision Should one attack this threat? Apparently so. No sighters, no feet. Just a reckless waft first up. The delivery to Brook was full, the edge clear. There is no world where this was a good choice. It was, if nothing else, novel in its complete misjudgment. We have seen England bat in Australia without fluidity. This was Brook as the scarecrow, batting without a brain. Root's Quiet Response Thus one half of this England team kept faltering, while at the other end Root batted for survival, but for the team's cause. Root provided his own subtle correction, a success for doing your homework, addressing your flaws. England are still in this series because he scaled the peak, delivered a lesson in what ability ultimately means. Will they take twenty wickets? Will they adapt? Not sure. But Joe Root did score a hundred.