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It's not often for an England player is accused of complaining in Australia, yet when Joe Root faced questions regarding the need for pink-ball cricket during the Ashes, he offered a straightforward answer.

“I personally don’t think so,” Root stated before England's practice in Brisbane. “Clearly very successful and well-received here in Australia, and Australia have an impressive record with the pink ball. It's understandable why one match is scheduled.

“In the end, we are aware from two years out it will happen. It's a requirement of preparing for the series. In a contest of this magnitude, does it need it? I don’t think so … but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be included. I'm fine with it. I don’t think it’s as good as the conventional format. But it’s in the schedule. We’ve got to play it, and we just need we outperform our opponents in these conditions.”

Joe Root's Record in Day-Night Tests Suffers

Like his counterpart, Steve Smith, Root's usually stellar stats take a hit in day-night games. The Yorkshire batsman has played all seven of England’s floodlit Tests so far, and although a century in his debut such match versus the Windies in 2017, his career average above 50 drops to just over 38 in these games.

On the other hand, 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 in day-night Tests. During his most recent pink-ball appearance, against West Indies, he took six for nine as West Indies were dismissed for 27—his best performance that he bettered with seven wickets for 58 in the next Test.

Key Battle Between Root and Starc Could Shape Series

The matchup between Root and Starc is shaping up to be one of the deciding factors in the Ashes. Although Cummins and Hazlewood have traditionally troubled him more, with them missing last week, it was Starc who got him out for zero and eight.

Root later reasoned the initial wicket was just a good ball—the type that may not reach the slips in England. The second, when he chopped on, during England’s the team's slump, was a miscalculation on his part. “I know I’m a good player,” he said. “I believe I will score runs again.”

England's Challenges and Preparations

Starc has adopted the wobble-seam as his main tactic nowadays—he noted he wished he'd heeded his teammates' advice sooner—and in humid Brisbane, swing could come into play. England, down one match, have more to overcome in this Test, and runs from their top batsman would help in recovering from a self-inflicted hole.

It might not need a hundred if another rapid shootout 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 in Perth.

Squad Decisions and Historic Opportunity

The England squad trained intensely over the weekend, to the sound of hip-hop setting the tone in the heat. The key sessions are crucial for England’s preparations, held under lights.

Wood being unavailable with a sore knee has created an opening in the lineup, with Jacks netting with the main batters hints he could be in contention. The all-rounder’s off-spin are adequate, and additional scoring at number eight could balance any bowling leaks.

That said, seamer Tongue has been with the Lions elsewhere and is still in the mix if England opt for pace-heavy bowling, and spinner Bashir was in the squad previously. Much to think about, then, at a venue where the visitors have not won a match for decades.

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