Brisbane, Dec 4 (UNI) Twelve years, 13 days and exactly 1,000 runs on from his first Test outing in Australia, the seemingly ageless Joe Root at last conquered his final run-scoring frontier.

Throughout an opening day where Australia seemed to make the right inroads at the right times until a disastrous final 40 minutes, Root stood tall for England, carving out a superb unbeaten 135 that will cement his legacy as one of the finest batters his country has produced.

It was fitting that it happened at the Gabba, where Root played his maiden Ashes Test in this country way back in November 2013. He made two in the first innings of that match, edging Mitchell Johnson through to Steve Smith at third slip amid a dramatic England collapse.

Ironically, history might have repeated itself in the c

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