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Rarely for an England player is accused of complaining in Australia, yet when the former captain was questioned regarding the need of day-night Tests in a series like the Ashes, he gave an honest response.

“From my perspective, it's not necessary,” Root responded before England's net session in Brisbane. “Clearly highly popular and well-received in this country, and the hosts boast a strong track record in these matches. You can understand why one match is scheduled.

“Ultimately, you know well in advance it will happen. It's a requirement of being ready for the series. In a contest of this magnitude, does it need it? Probably not … yet it doesn't imply it has no place. I'm fine with it. In my opinion it matches traditional Test cricket. But it's on the calendar. We have to participate, and we just need to be better our opponents at it.”

Joe Root's Record Under Lights Declines

Similar to his opposite number, Steve Smith, Root’s typically strong stats take a hit in day-night games. 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 against West Indies back in 2017, his overall average of 50.9 drops to 38.5 under lights.

Conversely, paceman Mitchell Starc holds an average near 29 and a strike rate around 50 in general, but those numbers improve to 17.08 and 33.3 correspondingly with the pink ball. In his last floodlit game, in Jamaica, he took six wickets for nine runs as West Indies were dismissed for a meager 27—his best performance that he bettered by taking seven wickets for 58 in Perth.

Deciding Duel Between Root and Starc Could Shape Series

The head-to-head of Root and Starc is shaping up to be one of the key contests in the Ashes. Although Cummins and Hazlewood have traditionally troubled him more, in their absence in the first Test, the veteran Starc who dismissed him for a duck and eight.

Root later reasoned the initial wicket was just a good ball—the kind that may not reach the slips in England. The second, when he chopped on, during England’s second-day collapse, was an error by him. “I know I’m a good player,” he said. “I know I’m going to return to form.”

England's Challenges and Preparations

Starc has adopted the wobble seam as his main tactic nowadays—he admitted he wished he'd heeded his teammates' advice sooner—and in muggy conditions, swing may also come into play. England, down one match, face additional obstacles this week, and runs from their premier batter would help in recovering from their own mistakes.

It might not need a hundred if another quick-fire match unfolds, but Root’s lack of a ton in Australia remains a talking point. “I didn't get time to dwell on it,” he modestly answered when asked if the stat bothered him during the first Test.

Squad Decisions and Chance for History

Root and his teammates trained intensely over the weekend, with hip-hop setting the tone on a hot afternoon. Monday and Wednesday are vital for England’s preparations, held under lights.

Wood being unavailable due to a knee issue opens up a spot in the team, with Jacks practicing among the batsmen hints he could be the frontrunner. The all-rounder’s off-breaks are decent, and additional scoring down the order could balance any bowling leaks.

However, seamer Tongue has been with the Lions 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. Much to think about, then, at a ground where the visitors haven’t won a Test for decades.

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