🔗 Share this article

Rarely for an England player gets labeled as whinging in Australia, but when Joe Root faced questions about the necessity for pink-ball cricket during the Ashes, he gave a straightforward response.

“My personal view is no,” Root responded prior to England's net session in Brisbane. “It’s obviously very successful and popular in this country, and the hosts have an impressive track record with the pink ball. You can understand why one match is scheduled.

“In the end, we are aware from two years out it will happen. It’s part of being ready for the series. In a contest of this magnitude, is it essential? I don’t think so … yet it doesn't imply it shouldn’t be included. I'm fine with it. I don’t think it matches traditional Test cricket. But it's on the calendar. We have to participate, and we just need to be better than Australia in these conditions.”

Root's Record Under Lights Takes a Dip

Like his counterpart, Australia's Steve Smith, Root’s typically strong numbers see a drop in day-night games. The Yorkshire batsman has played all seven England's floodlit Tests to date, and although a hundred in his first such match versus the Windies back in 2017, his overall average above 50 drops to 38.5 in these games.

Conversely, paceman Mitchell Starc holds an average near 29 with a strike-rate around 50 in general, yet these figures improve to 17.08 and 33.3 respectively with the pink ball. In his last floodlit game, against West Indies, he took six for nine as West Indies were dismissed for a meager 27—his best performance that he bettered by taking seven wickets for 58 in the next Test.

Deciding Duel Between Root and Starc Could Shape Series

The head-to-head of Root and Starc is emerging as one of the key contests in the Ashes. Although Cummins and Hazlewood usually troubled him more, in their absence in the first Test, the veteran Starc who got him out for scores of zero and eight.

Root later reasoned the initial wicket came from a fine delivery—the kind that might not carry to slip back home. His next dismissal, bowled chopping 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 now uses the wobble-seam as his preferred weapon these days—he admitted he wished he'd heeded his teammates' advice sooner—and in muggy conditions, swing could be available. England, down one match, face additional obstacles in this Test, and contributions by their premier batter would help in recovering from their own mistakes.

This may not require a century if another rapid shootout unfolds, but Root’s lack of a century in Australia remains a talking point. “I didn’t have long enough to think about it,” he modestly answered on being questioned whether that record bothered him during the first Test.

Squad Decisions and Historic Opportunity

The England squad practiced hard over the weekend, to the sound of hip-hop providing the backdrop on a hot afternoon. Monday and Wednesday are crucial for their readiness, conducted in evening conditions.

Wood being unavailable with a sore knee has created an opening in the team, with Jacks netting with the main batters suggests he might be the frontrunner. The all-rounder’s off-spin are adequate, and extra runs down the order might offset any conceded runs.

That said, Josh Tongue was with the reserves in Canberra and is still in the mix should England choose pace-heavy bowling, and spinner Bashir was in the squad last week. Plenty to consider, indeed, at a venue where England have not won a match for decades.

“It is a chance to create history,” Root commented on this fact. “It would make it all the sweeter if we succeed here.”