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Rarely that an English cricketer gets labeled as complaining in Australia, yet when Joe Root was questioned regarding the need for pink-ball cricket in a series like the Ashes, he offered a straightforward answer.

“From my perspective, it's not necessary,” Root stated prior to England's practice at the Gabba. “Clearly highly popular and popular here in Australia, and the hosts boast a strong track record in these matches. It's understandable why we’re playing.

“In the end, we are aware 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? I don’t think so … 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 our opponents at it.”

Joe Root's Performance Under Lights Declines

Similar to his opposite number, Steve Smith, Root’s typically strong numbers see a drop in day-night games. The Yorkshire batsman has played each of the seven of England’s pink-ball matches to date, and despite a hundred in his first such match versus the Windies back in 2017, his career average above 50 falls to 38.5 in these games.

On the other hand, paceman Mitchell Starc averages 28.97 with a strike-rate around 50 overall, but those numbers shift to 17 and 33 correspondingly in day-night Tests. During his most recent pink-ball appearance, in Jamaica, he took six for nine as the opposition were dismissed for 27—his best performance that he bettered with seven for 58 in Perth.

Deciding Duel Root vs Starc Could Shape Series

The head-to-head of Root and Starc is shaping up to be one of the key contests in the Ashes. While Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood usually caused him issues, with them missing last week, the veteran Starc who got him out for scores of a duck and eight.

Root has reflected the initial wicket was just a good ball—the kind that may not reach the slips in England. The second, when he chopped on, during England’s second-day collapse, was a miscalculation by him. “I know I’m a good player,” he stated. “I know I’m going to score runs again.”

England's Hurdles and Readiness

Starc now uses the wobble-seam as his preferred weapon nowadays—he noted he should have listened to Hazlewood and Cummins advice sooner—and in humid Brisbane, swing may also be available. England, down one match, have more to overcome in this Test, and runs from their top batsman would help them recover from their own mistakes.

It might not need a century should there be quick-fire match unfolds, yet Root's absence of a century on Australian soil continues to haunt him. “I didn’t have long enough to think about it,” was his humble reply on being questioned if the stat weighed on him during the first Test.

Squad Decisions and Chance for History

The England squad trained intensely on Sunday, to the sound of hip-hop providing the backdrop in the heat. Monday and Wednesday are vital for their readiness, held under lights.

Mark Wood’s absence due to a knee issue has created an opening in the lineup, with Jacks netting with the main batters hints he could be the frontrunner. His off-breaks are adequate, and extra runs down the order might offset any bowling leaks.

However, Josh Tongue has been with the Lions elsewhere and is still in the mix should England choose an all-pace attack, and spinner Bashir was included previously. Plenty to consider, then, at a venue where England have not won a match in over 40 years.

“It's an opportunity to make history,” Root said regarding this. “It would be all the sweeter if we succeed here.”