🔗 Share this article

It's not often for an England player gets labeled as whinging down under, yet when Joe Root was questioned about the necessity for pink-ball cricket in a series like the Ashes, he offered an honest answer.

“I personally don’t think so,” Root replied before England's net session at the Gabba. “It’s obviously very successful and well-received in this country, and Australia have an impressive record with the pink ball. It's understandable why we’re playing.

“In the end, we are aware well in advance it will happen. It’s part of preparing for such contests. In a contest of this magnitude, is it essential? I don’t think so … but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be included. I'm fine with it. In my opinion it matches the conventional format. But it’s in the schedule. We have to participate, and must ensure to be better our opponents at it.”

Root's Performance in Day-Night Tests Declines

Similar to his opposite number, Steve Smith, Root’s typically strong stats see a drop with the pink ball. The England star has played each of the seven England's floodlit Tests to date, and despite a hundred in his first such match against West Indies in 2017, his overall average above 50 drops to 38.5 under lights.

Conversely, paceman Mitchell Starc averages 28.97 and a strike rate of 49.9 in general, yet these figures improve to 17.08 and 33.3 correspondingly with the pink ball. In his last floodlit game, in Jamaica, he claimed six wickets for nine runs as West Indies were dismissed for 27—his best performance that he bettered with seven for 58 in the next Test.

Deciding Duel Between Root and Starc May Determine Outcome

The matchup between Root and Starc is shaping up to be one of the key contests in the Ashes. Although Cummins and Hazlewood have traditionally caused him issues, with them missing last week, it was Starc who got him out for a duck and eight.

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

England's Challenges and Readiness

Starc has adopted the wobble seam as his preferred weapon nowadays—he admitted he wished he'd heeded his teammates' advice sooner—and in muggy conditions, swing may also be available. England, trailing 1-0, face additional obstacles this week, and contributions by their top batsman could aid them recover from their own mistakes.

It might not need a century should there be rapid shootout unfolds, yet Root's absence of a ton in Australia continues to haunt him. “I didn't get time to think about it,” was his humble reply on being questioned if the stat weighed on him in Perth.

Team Selection and Historic Opportunity

Root and his teammates trained intensely on Sunday, to the sound of hip-hop providing the backdrop in the heat. Monday and Wednesday are crucial for England’s preparations, conducted in evening conditions.

Wood being unavailable due to a knee issue has created an opening in the team, and Will Jacks netting with the main batters hints he could be the frontrunner. His off-breaks are adequate, and extra runs at number eight might offset any conceded runs.

That said, seamer Tongue has been with the Lions elsewhere and remains an option should England choose an all-pace attack, and spinner Bashir was in the squad previously. Plenty to consider, then, at a ground where the visitors have not won a match in over 40 years.

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