Majestic Joe Root Glories in Australian Glory at Finally but Brook’s Folly Might Come at a Price
In the end, the very celebration was ideal, out there under that strange deep-blue southern sky, in the frenzy of the contest – manic Baz energy, England’s lower order cutting loose with reckless abandon at the other end.
Right. All that drama. At the heart, Joe Root guided the ball away to fine leg to notch his maiden Test hundred in Australia.
But, then if you know, you know. Picture trying to explain why this was not just warm, uplifting and cleansing, but profoundly significant.
An Achievement Frozen in Its Own Light
A batsman who already possessed 39 hundreds in this traditional format of a sport has now registered his 40th. Yet, trace the story, the artistry, the setbacks.
There'll, of course, be much debate stuff to be hashed out. Has Joe Root finally achieved greatness? Is he *Australian* great?
However, there is something more about wanting Root to be great in Australia. It’s not about point-scoring. Any Australian who knows about cricket already knows Root is a world-class cricketer.
Root's Century as a Sturdy Foundation
Root’s hundred felt meaningful in other ways, particularly as something tangible in the series for this team, a anchor in the ice.
Can England secure victory at the Gabba? Uncertain. But Joe Root got a hundred. Did Harry Brook produce a disastrous stroke? Yes. He did.
This was not merely a hundred in Australia, but a brilliant one in authentically tough conditions, an innings that may have saved his team in this series.
The innings commenced with the team in deep trouble, and England’s premier batsman coming out at 5/2. Root was dropped early in the slips.
The Juxtaposition in the Crease
By mid-afternoon, England were in a reasonable position. Two embodiments of elite Yorkshire batting at the crease.
At one end, Root was playing his natural game, easy, graceful, watchful. At the other, Brook was batting like a man who desperately needs the bathroom.
Meanwhile, a dusk was coming, shadows creeping across the ground, and the swing maestro preparing for the key spell of the day.
A Reckless Stroke
Do you run towards this danger? Yes. No sighters, no feet. Just a reckless waft first up.
The ball to Brook was full-length, the edge clear. There is no scenario where this was a good choice.
It was, if nothing else, 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 entire innings.
Root provided his own subtle correction, a triumph for doing your homework, addressing your flaws.
England are still in this series because he achieved the milestone, delivered a lesson in what skill in the end means.
Can they dismiss Australia? Are they going to learn? Not sure. But Joe Root made a hundred.
