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Rarely that an English cricketer is accused of whinging down under, but when Joe Root faced questions about the necessity for pink-ball cricket during the Ashes, he gave an honest response.

“My personal view is no,” Root responded before England's practice in Brisbane. “Clearly very successful and popular here in Australia, and Australia have an impressive track record with the pink ball. It's understandable why we’re playing.

“Ultimately, we are aware well in advance that it’s scheduled. It's a requirement of preparing for such contests. In a contest of this magnitude, does it need it? I don’t think so … yet it doesn't imply it has no place. I don’t mind it. I don’t think it’s as good as traditional Test cricket. But it's on the calendar. We’ve got to play it, and we just need to be better than Australia at it.”

Joe Root's Performance in Day-Night Tests Suffers

Like his counterpart, Steve Smith, Root’s typically strong numbers take a hit in day-night games. The England star has played all seven of England’s floodlit Tests to date, and despite a century in his first such match against West Indies in 2017, his career average above 50 drops to just over 38 in these games.

Conversely, bowler Mitchell Starc averages 28.97 with a strike-rate of 49.9 in general, yet these figures improve to 17.08 and 33.3 correspondingly in day-night Tests. During his most recent pink-ball appearance, in Jamaica, he claimed six for nine as the opposition were bowled out for 27—his best performance that were soon surpassed with seven wickets for 58 in Perth.

Deciding Duel Between Root and Starc May Determine Outcome

The matchup between Root and Starc is emerging as a potential key contests in this series. Although Cummins and Hazlewood have traditionally caused him issues, in their absence in the first Test, it was Starc who dismissed him for zero and eight.

Root later reasoned that the first dismissal came from a fine delivery—the type that might not carry to slip in England. The second, when he chopped on, during England’s second-day collapse, was an error on his part. “I am confident in my ability,” he stated. “I believe I will score runs again.”

The Touring Side's Challenges and Preparations

Starc has adopted the wobble seam as his preferred weapon 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, face additional obstacles in this Test, and contributions by their premier batter could aid them recover from a self-inflicted hole.

This may not require a hundred should there be quick-fire match occurs, but Root’s lack of a ton in Australia remains a talking point. “I didn’t have long enough to think about it,” was his humble reply on being questioned whether that record bothered him in Perth.

Squad Decisions and Historic Opportunity

Root and his teammates trained intensely over the weekend, to the sound of hip-hop setting the tone on a hot afternoon. Monday and Wednesday are crucial for their readiness, conducted in evening conditions.

Wood being unavailable due to a knee issue opens up a spot in the team, with Jacks practicing among the batsmen suggests he might be the frontrunner. The all-rounder’s off-spin are adequate, and extra runs down the order might offset any bowling leaks.

That said, seamer Tongue was with the reserves elsewhere and remains an option if England opt for pace-heavy bowling, while off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was included last week. Plenty to consider, then, at a ground where England have not won a match for decades.

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