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It's not often for an England player gets labeled as complaining in Australia, yet when the former captain faced questions about the necessity for pink-ball cricket during the Ashes, he offered an honest response.

“My personal view is no,” Root responded before England's practice in Brisbane. “It’s obviously very successful and well-received in this country, and Australia boast a strong track record in these matches. It's understandable why we’re playing.

“Ultimately, we are aware from two years out it will happen. It’s part of being ready for such contests. For a series like this, 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 matches traditional Test cricket. But it's on the calendar. We’ve got to play it, and we just need to be better than Australia in these conditions.”

Root's Record Under Lights Suffers

Like his counterpart, Steve Smith, Root's usually stellar stats see a drop in day-night games. The Yorkshire batsman has played each of the seven of England’s floodlit Tests so far, and despite a hundred in his debut such match versus the Windies in 2017, his career average of 50.9 drops to just over 38 under lights.

Conversely, paceman Mitchell Starc holds an average near 29 with a strike-rate of 49.9 overall, yet these figures shift to 17.08 and 33.3 respectively in day-night Tests. In his last pink-ball appearance, in Jamaica, he took six wickets for nine runs as the opposition were dismissed for 27—career-best figures that were soon surpassed with seven for 58 in the next Test.

Key Battle Between Root and Starc May Determine Outcome

The head-to-head between Root and Starc is emerging as one of the key contests in the Ashes. While Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood usually caused him issues, with them missing in the first Test, the veteran Starc who dismissed him for scores of a duck and eight.

Root later reasoned that the first dismissal came from a fine delivery—the type that might not carry to slip in England. The second, bowled chopping on, during England’s 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 Challenges and Readiness

Starc now uses the wobble-seam as his main tactic these days—he noted he wished he'd heeded to Hazlewood and Cummins suggestions earlier—and in humid Brisbane, swing may also be available. England, down one match, have more to overcome in this Test, and contributions by their premier batter could aid them recover from a self-inflicted hole.

It might not need a century should there be quick-fire match unfolds, but Root’s lack of a ton on Australian soil remains a talking point. “I didn’t have long enough to dwell on it,” was his humble reply on being questioned whether that record weighed on him during the first Test.

Squad Decisions and Historic Opportunity

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 with a sore knee opens up a spot in the team, with Jacks practicing among the batsmen hints he could be the frontrunner. His off-breaks are decent, and additional scoring at number eight might offset any conceded runs.

However, Josh Tongue was with the reserves elsewhere and is still in the mix if England opt for an all-pace attack, and spinner Bashir was included last week. Plenty to consider, indeed, at a venue where the visitors haven’t won a Test in over 40 years.

“It is a chance to create history,” Root commented on this fact. “It would be even more satisfying if we succeed at this ground.”