🔗 Share this article

It's not often for an England player gets labeled as complaining in Australia, yet when the former captain was questioned regarding the need of day-night Tests in a series like the Ashes, he offered a straightforward answer.

“I personally don’t think so,” Root replied before England's practice in Brisbane. “Clearly highly popular and well-received here in Australia, and the hosts have an impressive record in these matches. It's understandable why we’re playing.

“In the end, you know from two years out it will happen. It's a requirement of preparing for such contests. In a contest of this magnitude, does it need it? I don’t think so … but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be included. I'm fine with it. I don’t think it’s as good as the conventional format. But it’s in the schedule. We’ve got to play it, and must ensure we outperform our opponents at it.”

Joe Root's Performance Under Lights Suffers

Like his counterpart, Australia's Steve Smith, Root’s typically strong numbers see a drop in day-night games. The Yorkshire batsman has featured in each of the seven England's pink-ball matches so far, and although a hundred in his debut such match versus the Windies back in 2017, his career average of 50.9 drops to 38.5 in these games.

On the other hand, paceman Mitchell Starc averages 28.97 and a strike rate of 49.9 overall, but those numbers improve to 17.08 and 33.3 respectively with the pink ball. During his most recent floodlit game, in Jamaica, he claimed six for nine as West Indies were dismissed for a meager 27—career-best figures that were soon surpassed by taking seven for 58 in the next Test.

Key Battle Between Root and Starc May Determine Outcome

The head-to-head between Root and Starc is emerging as one of the key contests in this series. While Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have traditionally caused him issues, in their absence last week, the veteran Starc who dismissed him for a duck and eight.

Root later reasoned that the first dismissal was just a good ball—the kind that may not reach to slip back home. His next dismissal, bowled chopping on, amid the team's slump, was a miscalculation on his part. “I know I’m a good player,” he stated. “I know I’m going to score runs again.”

England's Challenges and Preparations

Starc has adopted the wobble-seam as his preferred weapon nowadays—he noted he wished he'd heeded to Hazlewood and Cummins suggestions earlier—and in muggy conditions, swing could be available. England, trailing 1-0, have more to overcome in this Test, and contributions by their premier batter would help them recover from a self-inflicted hole.

This may not require a century should there be rapid shootout occurs, but Root’s lack of a century on Australian soil remains a talking point. “I didn’t have long enough to dwell on it,” was his humble reply when asked whether that record bothered him during the first Test.

Squad Decisions and Historic Opportunity

Root and his teammates practiced hard on Sunday, with hip-hop providing the backdrop on a hot afternoon. The key sessions are crucial for England’s preparations, conducted in evening conditions.

Mark Wood’s absence due to a knee issue has created an opening in the lineup, with Jacks practicing among the batsmen hints he could be in contention. His off-breaks are adequate, and extra runs at number eight could balance any bowling leaks.

That said, Josh Tongue was with the reserves elsewhere and is still in the mix should England choose an all-pace attack, while off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was included previously. Much to think about, then, at a ground where England have not won a Test in over 40 years.

“It's an opportunity to make history,” Root commented on this fact. “It would make it all the sweeter if we win here.”