Majestic Joe Root Glories in Australian Glory at Long Last but Harry Brook's Mistake Might Prove Costly
In the end, the moment of celebration was perfect, on the field under that unusual intense blue southern sky, in the frenzy of the contest – manic Baz energy, the English lower order swinging freely death cult-style at the other end.
Right. All that drama. Amidst it all, Joe Root guided the ball away past fine leg to secure his maiden Test hundred in Australia.
Yet, the true meaning resonates with those who have followed the journey. Imagine trying to explain the reason this was not just heartwarming, inspiring and cathartic, but profoundly significant.
A Milestone Frozen in Its Own Light
A man who already possessed 39 centuries in this starchy formal dance of a sport has now compiled his fortieth. But, trace the story, the craft, the jags in the road.
There will, of course, be much discussion stuff to be hashed out. Is Joe Root finally great? Is he *Australian* great?
But there is something deeper about hoping for Root to be great in Australia. It’s not about point-scoring. Any Australian who knows about cricket recognizes Root is a exceptional cricketer.
The Captain's Hundred as a Sturdy Foundation
The century felt significant in other ways, particularly as something concrete in the series for this team, a handhold in the ice.
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 superb 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 key batter coming out at two wickets down for five runs. He was given a life early in the slips.
The Contrast in the Middle
By mid-afternoon, England were 3/175. Two examples of elite Yorkshire batting at the crease.
On one side, Root was simply being himself, relaxed, graceful, watchful. Meanwhile, Brook was batting like a man who desperately needs the bathroom.
Meanwhile, a dusk was coming, shadows creeping across the ground, and Mitchell Starc building up for the crucial spell of the day.
A Costly Decision
Do you run towards this danger? Yep. No sighters, no feet. Just a flash of the bat first up.
The delivery to Brook was full-length, the edge clear. There is no world where this was a sensible choice.
It was, if nothing else, novel in its abjectness. We have seen England bat in Australia like the Tin Man. Now Brook gave us the scarecrow, batting without a brain.
Root's Quiet Answer
Therefore one half of this England team continued to collapse, while at the other end Root batted with immense resolve, but for everyone else’s too.
He offered his own subtle correction, a triumph for preparation, working at your flaws.
The tourists are still in this series because he scaled the peak, provided a lesson in what skill truly means.
Will they take twenty wickets? Are they going to learn? Not sure. But Joe Root did score a hundred.