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It's not often that an English cricketer gets labeled as whinging down under, yet when Joe Root faced questions about the necessity of day-night Tests in a series like the Ashes, he offered a straightforward answer.

“My personal view is no,” Root stated before England's practice in Brisbane. “It’s obviously highly popular and well-received in this country, and Australia boast a strong track record in these matches. You can understand why we’re playing.

“In the end, you know from two years out it will happen. It’s part of preparing for such contests. For a series like this, does it need it? Probably not … but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be included. I don’t mind it. In my opinion it matches the conventional format. But it’s in the schedule. We have to participate, and must ensure we outperform than Australia at it.”

Joe Root's Record in Day-Night Tests Suffers

Like his counterpart, Australia's Steve Smith, Root's usually stellar numbers see a drop with the pink ball. The Yorkshire batsman has featured in each of the seven of England’s pink-ball matches to date, and despite a hundred in his first outing versus the Windies back in 2017, his career average above 50 falls to just over 38 in these games.

Conversely, bowler Mitchell Starc averages 28.97 with a strike-rate around 50 overall, but those numbers improve to 17 and 33 respectively in day-night Tests. In his last pink-ball appearance, against West Indies, he claimed six wickets for nine runs as the opposition were dismissed for 27—career-best figures that were soon surpassed by taking seven wickets for 58 in Perth.

Key Battle Root vs Starc Could Shape Series

The matchup between Root and Starc is emerging as one of the deciding factors in this series. While Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have traditionally caused him issues, with them missing in the first Test, it was Starc who got him out for zero and eight.

Root has reflected that the first dismissal was just a good ball—the type that may not reach to slip back home. His next dismissal, bowled chopping on, amid second-day collapse, was a miscalculation by him. “I am confident in my ability,” he stated. “I know I’m going to return to form.”

England's Challenges and Readiness

Starc has adopted the wobble-seam as his main tactic nowadays—he noted he should have listened his teammates' advice sooner—and in humid Brisbane, swing could be available. England, down one match, have more to overcome in this Test, and contributions by their premier batter would help them recover from a self-inflicted hole.

This may not require a hundred if another rapid shootout unfolds, yet Root's absence of a century in Australia 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.

Squad Decisions and Chance for History

The England squad practiced hard on Sunday, to the sound of hip-hop providing the backdrop in the heat. The key sessions are crucial for their readiness, conducted in evening conditions.

Mark Wood’s absence with a sore knee opens up a spot in the lineup, with Jacks practicing among the batsmen hints he could be the frontrunner. The all-rounder’s off-breaks are adequate, and extra runs down the order might offset any bowling leaks.

However, Josh Tongue was with the reserves elsewhere and is still in the mix if England opt for an all-pace attack, while off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was in the squad last week. Plenty to consider, indeed, at a ground where England have not won a match for decades.

“It's an opportunity to create history,” Root commented on this fact. “It would be all the sweeter if we succeed at this ground.”