Sublime Joe Root Glories in Aussie Triumph at Long Last but Brook’s Folly Might Prove Costly
Ultimately, even the celebration was flawless, on the field under that unique deep-blue southern sky, within the tumult of the match situation – manic Baz energy, the English lower order scything away with reckless abandon at the other end.
Indeed. All of that. At the heart, Joe Root guided the ball away through fine leg to secure his long-awaited Test hundred in Australia.
But, then if you know, you know. Picture trying to explain the reason this was not just warm, inspiring and cathartic, but profoundly significant.
A Moment Caught in Time
A batsman who already had 39 tons in this starchy formal dance of a sport has now registered his fortieth. But, trace the story, the artistry, the setbacks.
There'll, of course, be much banter-war talk to be hashed out. Has Joe Root finally achieved greatness? Is he *Australian* great?
Yet there exists something further about wanting Root to be great in Australia. This isn't concerning one-upmanship. Every Australian who understands cricket is well aware Root is a exceptional cricketer.
The Captain's Hundred as a Sturdy Foundation
This ton felt important in other ways, especially as something solid in the series for this team, a handhold in the ice.
Are England going to win at the Gabba? It's unclear. But Joe Root got a hundred. Did Harry Brook produce a disastrous stroke? Yes. He did.
And not just a hundred in Australia, but a superb one in authentically tough conditions, an innings that could have saved his team in this series.
The innings commenced with the early wickets tumbling, and England’s greatest modern player coming out at two wickets down for five runs. He was given a life early in the slips.
The Contrast in the Crease
As the day progressed, England were in a reasonable position. Two versions of elite Yorkshire-dom at the crease.
On one side, Root was playing his natural game, relaxed, graceful, alert. Meanwhile, Brook was batting like a man who urgently requires the bathroom.
Meanwhile, a darkness was coming, the shadows creeping across the ground, and the pink ball genius preparing for the crucial spell of the day.
A Reckless Decision
Should one attack this threat? Yep. No settling in, no feet. Just a flash of the bat first up.
The delivery to Brook was full, the edge thick. There is no world where this was a good choice.
It was, if nothing else, novel in its abjectness. We've witnessed England bat in Australia like the Tin Man. This was Brook as the scarecrow, batting without a brain.
The Veteran's Silent Rebuke
Thus one half of this England team kept faltering, while at the other end Root batted with immense resolve, but for the entire innings.
He offered his own subtle correction, a victory for preparation, correcting your flaws.
The tourists are still in this series because he did the thing, offered a lesson in what skill in the end means.
Are they going to bowl Australia out? Are they going to learn? Uncertain. But Joe Root made a hundred.
