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It's not often for an England player is accused of whinging down under, yet when the former captain was questioned about the necessity for pink-ball cricket in a series like the Ashes, he offered a straightforward answer.

“I personally don’t think so,” Root replied before England's practice at the Gabba. “Clearly very successful and popular here in Australia, and Australia have an impressive record in these matches. It's understandable why we’re playing.

“In the end, you know from two years out that it’s scheduled. It's a requirement of preparing for the series. 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'm fine with it. In my opinion it matches the conventional format. But it's on the calendar. We’ve got to play it, and we just need to be better than Australia in these conditions.”

Joe Root's Record Under Lights Suffers

Like his counterpart, Steve Smith, Root's usually stellar numbers take a hit with the pink ball. The Yorkshire batsman has played all seven of England’s pink-ball matches so far, and although a hundred in his first outing against West Indies back in 2017, his career average above 50 falls to just over 38 under lights.

Conversely, bowler Mitchell Starc holds an average near 29 with a strike-rate around 50 overall, yet these figures shift to 17 and 33 correspondingly with the pink ball. In his last pink-ball appearance, in Jamaica, he took six for nine as the opposition were bowled out for 27—his best performance that were soon surpassed with seven for 58 in Perth.

Deciding Duel Root vs Starc Could Shape Series

The matchup of Root and Starc is shaping up to be a potential deciding factors in this series. While Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood usually troubled him more, in their absence in the first Test, it was Starc who dismissed him for a duck and eight.

Root has reflected the initial wicket was just a good ball—the type that may not reach to slip back home. The second, bowled chopping on, during England’s second-day collapse, was an error by him. “I know I’m a good player,” he stated. “I believe I will score runs again.”

England's Hurdles and Readiness

Starc has adopted the wobble seam as his preferred weapon these days—he noted he wished he'd heeded to Hazlewood and Cummins advice sooner—and in muggy conditions, swing could come into play. England, down one match, have more to overcome this week, and runs from their top batsman would help them recover from a self-inflicted hole.

It might not need a hundred should there be quick-fire match unfolds, yet Root's absence of a century in Australia continues to haunt him. “I didn’t have long enough to think about it,” he modestly answered when asked if the stat weighed on him during the first Test.

Squad Decisions and Historic Opportunity

Root and his teammates trained intensely on Sunday, with hip-hop setting the tone on a hot afternoon. Monday and Wednesday are vital for England’s preparations, held under lights.

Mark Wood’s absence with a sore knee opens up a spot in the team, with Jacks practicing among the batsmen hints he could be the frontrunner. The all-rounder’s off-spin are decent, and additional scoring at number eight could balance any conceded runs.

However, seamer Tongue has been with the Lions in Canberra and remains an option if England opt for pace-heavy bowling, and spinner Bashir was included last week. Much to think about, then, at a venue where England haven’t won a Test for decades.

“It is a chance to make history,” Root said on this fact. “It would be even more satisfying if we win here.”