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

“My personal view is no,” Root stated prior to England's practice at the Gabba. “Clearly highly popular and popular in this country, and the hosts boast a strong track record in these matches. You can understand why one match is scheduled.

“In the end, you know from two years out that it’s scheduled. It's a requirement of preparing for such contests. 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. I don’t think it matches the conventional format. But it's on the calendar. We’ve got to play it, and must ensure to be better our opponents at it.”

Joe Root's Record in Day-Night Tests Suffers

Similar to his opposite number, Australia's Steve Smith, Root's usually stellar numbers take a hit with the pink ball. The Yorkshire batsman has played each of the seven of England’s floodlit Tests to date, and despite a hundred in his debut outing versus the Windies in 2017, his overall average of 50.9 falls to just over 38 under lights.

Conversely, paceman Mitchell Starc holds an average near 29 and a strike rate around 50 overall, but those numbers shift to 17.08 and 33.3 respectively with the pink ball. In his last pink-ball appearance, against West Indies, he took six wickets for nine runs as the opposition were dismissed for 27—his best performance that were soon surpassed by taking seven for 58 in Perth.

Key Battle Root vs Starc May Determine Outcome

The head-to-head between Root and Starc is shaping up to be a potential deciding factors in the Ashes. While Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have traditionally troubled him more, with them missing in the first Test, it was Starc who got him out for scores of zero and eight.

Root later reasoned the initial wicket came from a fine delivery—the type that may not reach to slip back home. His next dismissal, when he chopped on, during England’s second-day collapse, was a miscalculation on his part. “I am confident in my ability,” he said. “I believe I will return to form.”

The Touring Side's Hurdles and Readiness

Starc now uses the wobble-seam as his main tactic nowadays—he admitted he should have listened his teammates' suggestions earlier—and in humid Brisbane, swing could be available. England, trailing 1-0, face additional obstacles this week, 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 ton on Australian soil remains a talking point. “I didn’t have long enough to think about it,” he modestly answered when asked whether that record weighed on him during the first Test.

Squad Decisions and Chance for History

The England squad trained intensely on Sunday, with hip-hop setting the tone on a hot afternoon. Monday and Wednesday are crucial for England’s preparations, conducted in evening conditions.

Mark Wood’s absence with a sore knee has created an opening in the lineup, with Jacks netting with the main batters suggests he might be in contention. The all-rounder’s off-breaks are decent, and additional scoring down the order might offset any bowling leaks.

That said, Josh Tongue has been with the Lions in Canberra and is still in the mix if England opt for an all-pace attack, while off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was included previously. Plenty to consider, indeed, at a ground where England have not won a match in over 40 years.

“It's an opportunity to create history,” Root said on this fact. “It would make it even more satisfying if we win at this ground.”