🔗 Share this article

It's not often for an England player is accused of complaining down under, yet when the former captain faced questions regarding the need of day-night Tests in a series like the Ashes, he gave an honest answer.

“I personally don’t think so,” Root responded prior to England's practice at the Gabba. “Clearly very successful and well-received here in Australia, and Australia have an impressive record in these matches. It's understandable why we’re playing.

“Ultimately, we are aware well in advance that it’s scheduled. It’s part of being ready for such contests. In a contest of this magnitude, is it essential? Probably not … but that doesn’t mean it has no place. I'm fine with it. In my opinion it’s as good as traditional Test cricket. But it’s in the schedule. We’ve got to play it, and we just need to be better than Australia in these conditions.”

Root's Performance in Day-Night Tests Takes a Dip

Similar to his opposite number, Australia's Steve Smith, Root's usually stellar stats take a hit with the pink ball. The England star has played each of the seven England's pink-ball matches to date, and although a hundred in his debut outing versus the Windies in 2017, his overall average above 50 drops to just over 38 in these games.

On the other hand, paceman Mitchell Starc averages 28.97 and a strike rate of 49.9 in general, yet these figures shift to 17 and 33 correspondingly in day-night Tests. In his last pink-ball appearance, in Jamaica, he took six wickets for nine runs as West Indies were dismissed for 27—his best performance that were soon surpassed by taking seven for 58 in Perth.

Key Battle Between Root and Starc May Determine Outcome

The matchup of Root and Starc is shaping up to be a potential deciding factors in this series. Although Cummins and Hazlewood usually caused him issues, with them missing in the first Test, the veteran Starc who dismissed him for scores of zero and eight.

Root later reasoned that the first dismissal came from a fine delivery—the type that may not reach to slip back home. His next dismissal, when he chopped on, during England’s second-day collapse, was a miscalculation by him. “I am confident in my ability,” he stated. “I know I’m going to return to form.”

England's Challenges and Readiness

Starc has adopted the wobble-seam as his main tactic nowadays—he noted he wished he'd heeded his teammates' advice sooner—and in humid Brisbane, swing may also come into play. England, trailing 1-0, have more to overcome this week, and runs from their premier batter would help them recover from a self-inflicted hole.

It might not need a century should there be rapid shootout unfolds, yet Root's absence of a century in Australia continues to haunt him. “I didn’t have long enough to dwell on it,” he modestly answered when asked whether that record bothered him in Perth.

Team Selection and Chance for History

Root and his teammates practiced hard on Sunday, with hip-hop setting the tone on a hot afternoon. The key sessions are vital for their readiness, held under lights.

Mark Wood’s absence due to a knee issue has created an opening in the lineup, with Jacks netting with the main batters hints he could be in contention. His off-spin are adequate, and extra runs down the order could balance any conceded runs.

That said, seamer Tongue was with the reserves in Canberra and remains an option if England opt for pace-heavy bowling, and spinner Bashir was in the squad previously. Much to think about, indeed, at a venue where England haven’t won a match for decades.

“It is a chance to create history,” Root said on this fact. “It would make it all the sweeter if we win at this ground.”