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It's not often that an English cricketer gets labeled as whinging in Australia, yet when Joe Root was questioned about the necessity for pink-ball cricket during the Ashes, he offered a straightforward answer.

“My personal view is no,” Root responded before England's practice in Brisbane. “It’s obviously highly popular and popular here in Australia, and the hosts boast a strong track record with the pink ball. It's understandable why one match is scheduled.

“In the end, you know well in advance that it’s scheduled. It's a requirement of preparing for the series. In a contest of this magnitude, is it essential? I don’t think so … yet it doesn't imply it shouldn’t be included. I don’t mind it. In my opinion it’s as good as the conventional format. But it’s in the schedule. We have to participate, and we just need we outperform than Australia in these conditions.”

Root's Record in Day-Night Tests Suffers

Like his counterpart, Steve Smith, Root's usually stellar stats see a drop in day-night games. The England star has featured in all seven England's pink-ball matches to date, and despite a century in his first such match against West Indies back in 2017, his overall average above 50 drops to 38.5 in these games.

On the other hand, paceman Mitchell Starc averages 28.97 and a strike rate of 49.9 in general, yet these figures improve to 17 and 33 correspondingly in day-night Tests. In his last floodlit game, in Jamaica, he claimed six for nine as West Indies were bowled out for 27—career-best figures that were soon surpassed by taking seven wickets for 58 in Perth.

Deciding Duel Root vs Starc May Determine Outcome

The matchup of Root and Starc is emerging as a potential key contests in this series. While Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood usually troubled him more, with them missing in the first Test, it was Starc who dismissed him for a duck and eight.

Root later reasoned the initial wicket came from a fine delivery—the kind that may not reach the slips back home. His next dismissal, when he chopped on, during England’s second-day collapse, was an error on his part. “I know I’m a good player,” he said. “I believe I will return to form.”

England's Challenges and Preparations

Starc has adopted the wobble seam as his main tactic these days—he admitted he wished he'd heeded his teammates' suggestions earlier—and in humid Brisbane, swing may also be available. England, trailing 1-0, have more to overcome in this Test, and runs from their premier batter could aid them recover from their own mistakes.

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

Squad Decisions and Chance for History

Root and his teammates practiced hard over the weekend, to the sound of hip-hop setting the tone on a hot afternoon. The key sessions are crucial for their readiness, held under lights.

Wood being unavailable due to a knee issue opens up a spot in the lineup, with Jacks netting with the main batters hints he could be the frontrunner. The all-rounder’s off-spin are decent, and additional scoring down the order might offset any conceded runs.

That said, seamer Tongue was with the reserves elsewhere and remains an option if England opt for an all-pace attack, while off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was included previously. Much to think about, indeed, at a ground where England haven’t won a Test for decades.

“It is a chance to make history,” Root said regarding this. “It would make it even more satisfying if we succeed here.”