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Rarely that an English cricketer is accused of whinging in Australia, yet when Joe Root faced questions about the necessity for pink-ball cricket during the Ashes, he offered a straightforward answer.

“I personally don’t think so,” Root stated before England's practice in Brisbane. “Clearly very successful and well-received here in Australia, and the hosts boast a strong track record in these matches. It's understandable why one match is scheduled.

“Ultimately, you know from two years out it will happen. It's a requirement of preparing for such contests. For a series like this, does it need it? 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 on the calendar. We have to participate, and we just need we outperform than Australia in these conditions.”

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

Like his counterpart, Steve Smith, Root's usually stellar stats take a hit with the pink ball. The Yorkshire batsman has played all seven of England’s floodlit Tests to date, and although a century in his first outing versus the Windies in 2017, his career average of 50.9 falls to 38.5 in these games.

Conversely, bowler Mitchell Starc averages 28.97 with a strike-rate around 50 in general, but those numbers improve to 17.08 and 33.3 correspondingly with the pink ball. During his most recent floodlit game, against West Indies, he took six wickets for nine runs as the opposition were dismissed for 27—career-best figures that were soon surpassed with seven wickets for 58 in the next Test.

Key Battle Between Root and Starc May Determine Outcome

The head-to-head of Root and Starc is emerging as one of the key contests in the Ashes. While Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have traditionally troubled him more, in their absence last week, it was Starc who dismissed him for zero and eight.

Root later reasoned the initial wicket came from a fine delivery—the kind that might not carry the slips back home. His next dismissal, bowled chopping on, amid second-day collapse, was an error on his part. “I know I’m a good player,” he said. “I believe I will score runs again.”

England's Challenges and Readiness

Starc now uses the wobble-seam as his main tactic nowadays—he admitted he should have listened to Hazlewood and Cummins suggestions earlier—and in humid Brisbane, swing may also come into play. England, trailing 1-0, face additional obstacles in this Test, and contributions by their premier batter would help in recovering from a self-inflicted hole.

It might not need 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 think about it,” was his humble reply on being questioned whether that record weighed on him during the first Test.

Squad Decisions and Historic Opportunity

The England squad practiced hard over the weekend, to the sound of hip-hop setting the tone in the heat. The key sessions are vital for England’s preparations, held under lights.

Mark Wood’s absence with a sore knee opens up a spot in the lineup, and Will Jacks practicing among the batsmen suggests he might be in contention. The all-rounder’s off-spin are adequate, and extra runs down the order might offset any bowling leaks.

That said, seamer Tongue has been with the Lions in Canberra and is still in the mix if England opt for an all-pace attack, while off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was in the squad last week. Much to think about, indeed, at a venue where England have not won a Test for decades.

“It's an opportunity to make history,” Root said on this fact. “It would make it even more satisfying if we succeed at this ground.”