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It's not often for an England player is accused of complaining down under, yet when Joe Root was questioned about the necessity for pink-ball cricket during the Ashes, he offered an honest answer.

“From my perspective, it's not necessary,” Root responded before England's practice at the Gabba. “Clearly very successful and well-received in this country, and Australia boast a strong record in these matches. It's understandable why we’re playing.

“Ultimately, you know well in advance that it’s scheduled. It’s part of preparing for such contests. For a series like this, is it essential? I don’t think so … but that doesn’t mean it has no place. I don’t mind it. I don’t think it matches traditional Test cricket. But it’s in the schedule. We have to participate, and we just need to be better than Australia in these conditions.”

Joe Root's Performance in Day-Night Tests Declines

Similar to his opposite number, Steve Smith, Root’s typically strong numbers see a drop with the pink ball. The England star has played all seven of England’s floodlit Tests to date, and although a century in his debut outing versus the Windies in 2017, his career average of 50.9 falls to 38.5 under lights.

On the other hand, paceman Mitchell Starc averages 28.97 with a strike-rate of 49.9 in general, but those numbers shift to 17 and 33 correspondingly in day-night Tests. During his most recent floodlit game, against West Indies, he claimed six for nine as West Indies were dismissed for a meager 27—career-best figures that he bettered with seven wickets for 58 in Perth.

Key Battle Between Root and Starc Could Shape Series

The head-to-head of Root and Starc is emerging as a potential deciding factors in the Ashes. Although Cummins and Hazlewood usually troubled him more, in their absence last week, the veteran Starc who dismissed him for scores of a duck and eight.

Root has reflected that the first dismissal was just a good ball—the type that may not reach to slip in England. His next dismissal, when he chopped on, amid second-day collapse, was an error by him. “I know I’m a good player,” he said. “I know I’m going to score runs again.”

The Touring Side's Hurdles and Preparations

Starc now uses the wobble seam as his main tactic nowadays—he admitted he wished he'd heeded his teammates' suggestions earlier—and in humid Brisbane, swing could be available. England, trailing 1-0, have more to overcome in this Test, and runs from their premier batter would help them recover from a self-inflicted hole.

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 have long enough to think about it,” he modestly answered on being questioned if the stat bothered him in Perth.

Team Selection and Chance for History

Root and his teammates trained intensely over the weekend, with hip-hop providing the backdrop in the heat. The key sessions are crucial for their readiness, conducted in evening conditions.

Wood being unavailable with a sore knee opens up a spot in the team, and Will Jacks netting with the main batters suggests he might be the frontrunner. The all-rounder’s off-breaks are decent, and extra runs down the order might offset any bowling leaks.

However, seamer Tongue was with the reserves in Canberra and is still in the mix if England opt for pace-heavy bowling, while off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was in the squad last week. Much to think about, indeed, at a venue where England have not won a match in over 40 years.

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