Running to the non strikers end after pulling a short ball from Mitch Marsh to fine leg, he sprung a mighty leap punching the air as he rose, returned to earth to kiss the badge on the front of his helmet then, much to the delight of half the crowd, landed two gentle headbutts on the badge.

On the England dressing room balcony, his team-mates beamed and laughed but as the cameras returned to Bairstow in the middle he was not smiling but by that stage deep in a moment staring up at the sky.

Asked afterwards about the second image and whether that was a moment thinking about his father David, lost through suicide to depression when the younger Bairstow was just eight years old, he nodded.

"Yes it is natural thing," he said. "Naturally you want people to be around. It is not something that I think about, it is something that just naturally happens," he said.

"There are a lot of emotions out there and it is difficult that it all happens in that moment. Mala [Dawid Malan] was talking about it last night about thinking about hugging his mum when he came off. It's a whole heap of emotions.

"In many ways this hundred was my favourite one. I have played in a few Ashes series so far now and it has eluded me until now but you want to look back in the archives when you are retired and say to your kids and grandkids I made an Ashes hundred at the WACA.

"There is a huge amount of pride that comes from any hundred but to do it here is very special." So for the second day running an England batsman was talking about the emotions of raising the bat against Australia following Malan's century the night before.

And yet this match was far from won - a point Bairstow acknowledged on several occasions in the minutes that followed after Australia had fought back hard on day two.

Malan had gone on to get 140 and Bairstow 119 - his fourth century in Tests - before an England collapse of 6-35 rather undermined their good work.

For all that the tail were rather too easily blown away that pair will sleep easy knowing they did their bit, contributing to the highest fifth wicket stand for England in Ashes cricket - their 237 eclipsing the previous best of 206 by Denis Compton and Eddie Paynter in 1938.

Bairstow has now been involved in a dozen century partnerships for England, including his 237 with Malan here and the second highest ever 399 with Ben Stokes at Newlands, Cape Town in 2016.

And this innings vindicated the decision to push him up the order to six with Moeen Ali dropping to seven.

Bairstow insisted it made little difference but accepted that it worked for the balance of the team.

“Delighted to score the runs I did and I really don't think it is a big issue. It is obviously something that for the balance of the team it was right for me to bat at seven. But Mo has got five Test hundreds - more than I have.

"So you could say that he should be batting ahead of me. It doesn't bother me or Mo.”

He added: "What you do want to be part of is partnership taking on a ferocious attack and to put the partnership we did together. That means a heck of a lot to be part of a record stand." Bairstow's head-butt celebration was received with similar delight by the Barmy Army.

Hopefully it did much to bring the curtain down on a circus which has followed him since his bizarre method of greeting Australian opener Cameron Bancroft in The Avenue nightclub back on the very first night of this tour.

Another would be handy though.