Majestic Root Revels in Aussie Glory at Long Last but Brook’s Error Might Be Costly
Finally, the very celebration was ideal, on the field under that unique deep-blue southern sky, within the tumult of the contest – frantic Baz energy, England’s lower order swinging freely death cult-style at the other end.
Right. All that drama. Amidst it all, Joe Root eased the ball away to fine leg to complete his maiden Test hundred in Australia.
Yet, the true meaning resonates with those who have followed the journey. Picture trying to explain the reason this was more than heartwarming, uplifting and cathartic, but subtly monumental.
An Achievement Preserved in Time
A player who already possessed 39 tons in this traditional format of a sport has now scored his 40th. But, follow the story, the craft, the jags in the road.
There will, of course, be plenty of banter-war stuff to be resolved. Has Joe Root finally achieved greatness? Is he *Australian* great?
Yet there exists something further about hoping for Root to be great in Australia. It’s not about rivalry. Any Australian who knows about cricket is well aware Root is a great cricketer.
The Captain's Century as a Solid Foundation
This ton felt significant in other ways, not least as something concrete in the series for this team, a anchor in the glacier.
Will England triumph 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 superb one in authentically tough conditions, an innings that might just have saved his team in this series.
It began with the early wickets tumbling, and England’s greatest modern player 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 in a reasonable position. Two embodiments of elite Yorkshire grit at the crease.
On one side, Root was playing his natural game, relaxed, lithe, alert. At the other, Brook was batting like a man who desperately needs the bathroom.
Meanwhile, a gloom was coming, shadows creeping across the ground, and Mitchell Starc building up for the pivotal spell of the day.
A Reckless Choice
Should one attack this threat? Yes. No sighters, no feet. Just a flash of the bat first up.
The ball to Brook was full, the edge thick. There is no world where this was a smart choice.
It was, if nothing else, novel in its abjectness. We have seen England bat in Australia without fluidity. Now Brook gave us the scarecrow, batting without a brain.
The Veteran's Quiet Rebuke
Thus one half of this England team kept faltering, while at the other end Root batted with immense resolve, but for the team's cause.
He offered his own quiet rebuke, a triumph for doing your homework, working at your flaws.
The tourists are still in this series because he did the thing, provided a lesson in what skill in the end means.
Can they dismiss Australia? Can they evolve? Uncertain. But Joe Root compiled a hundred.
