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It's not often for an England player gets labeled as whinging in Australia, but when Joe Root faced questions about the necessity for pink-ball cricket during the Ashes, he gave a straightforward answer.

“My personal view is no,” Root stated before England's net session at the Gabba. “Clearly very successful and popular here in Australia, and Australia have an impressive track record with the pink ball. It's understandable why one match is scheduled.

“In the end, we are aware well in advance 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 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 must ensure to be better than Australia at it.”

Joe Root's Performance Under Lights Declines

Similar to his opposite number, Australia's Steve Smith, Root’s typically strong numbers take a hit in day-night games. The England star has featured in all seven of England’s floodlit Tests so far, and although a hundred in his first such match versus the Windies back in 2017, his career average above 50 drops to 38.5 in these games.

On the other hand, bowler 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 correspondingly with the pink ball. During his most recent pink-ball appearance, in Jamaica, he took six wickets for nine runs as West Indies were bowled out for a meager 27—career-best figures that were soon surpassed with seven for 58 in Perth.

Key Battle Root vs Starc May Determine Outcome

The matchup of Root and Starc is shaping up to be a potential deciding factors in this series. Although Cummins and Hazlewood usually caused him issues, in their absence last week, 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 might not carry the slips back home. His next dismissal, bowled chopping on, amid the team's slump, was a miscalculation on his part. “I know I’m a good player,” he stated. “I believe I will return to form.”

England's Hurdles and Preparations

Starc has adopted the wobble-seam as his preferred weapon these days—he admitted he wished he'd heeded to Hazlewood and Cummins advice sooner—and in humid Brisbane, swing may also be available. England, trailing 1-0, face additional obstacles this week, and runs from their top batsman could aid in recovering from their own mistakes.

It might not need a century should there be rapid shootout unfolds, yet Root's absence of a ton on Australian soil remains a talking point. “I didn’t have long enough to dwell on it,” was his humble reply when asked whether that record bothered him during the first Test.

Team Selection and Chance for History

The England squad trained intensely over the weekend, to the sound of hip-hop providing the backdrop 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, and Will Jacks netting with the main batters hints he could be the frontrunner. The all-rounder’s off-spin are adequate, and extra runs at number eight might offset any bowling leaks.

However, seamer Tongue was with the reserves in Canberra and is still in the mix should England choose an all-pace attack, and spinner Bashir was in the squad previously. Plenty to consider, then, at a ground where England haven’t won a match for decades.

“It is a chance to make history,” Root said regarding this. “It would make it all the sweeter if we win here.”