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It's not often for an England player gets labeled as whinging in Australia, but when Joe Root was questioned regarding the need for pink-ball cricket during the Ashes, he offered an honest answer.

“My personal view is no,” Root responded prior to England's practice in Brisbane. “Clearly very successful and well-received here in Australia, and Australia boast a strong track record with the pink ball. You can understand why we’re playing.

“Ultimately, you know from two years out it will happen. It's a requirement of being ready for such contests. In a contest of this magnitude, does it need it? Probably not … yet it doesn't imply 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 we just need we outperform than Australia at it.”

Joe Root's Record Under Lights Takes a Dip

Like his counterpart, Australia's Steve Smith, Root's usually stellar numbers take a hit in day-night games. The Yorkshire batsman has played all seven of England’s floodlit Tests to date, and despite a hundred in his debut such match against West Indies in 2017, his overall average of 50.9 falls to 38.5 in these games.

Conversely, paceman Mitchell Starc holds an average near 29 and a strike rate of 49.9 in general, but those numbers improve to 17 and 33 correspondingly with the pink ball. In his last pink-ball appearance, in Jamaica, he claimed six wickets for nine runs as West Indies were bowled out for 27—career-best figures that were soon surpassed with seven for 58 in the next Test.

Deciding Duel Between Root and Starc Could Shape Series

The matchup of Root and Starc is emerging as one of the key contests in the Ashes. Although Cummins and Hazlewood have traditionally troubled him more, with them missing last week, it was Starc who dismissed him for scores of zero and eight.

Root has reflected that the first dismissal came from a fine delivery—the kind that might not carry to slip back home. The second, bowled chopping on, amid the team's slump, was a miscalculation on his part. “I am confident in my ability,” he stated. “I believe I will return to form.”

The Touring Side's Hurdles and Preparations

Starc has adopted the wobble seam as his main tactic nowadays—he admitted he wished he'd heeded to Hazlewood and Cummins advice sooner—and in humid Brisbane, swing could come into play. England, trailing 1-0, face additional obstacles this week, and contributions by their top batsman could aid in recovering from a self-inflicted hole.

It might not need a hundred 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 when asked whether that record weighed on him in Perth.

Squad Decisions and Historic Opportunity

The England squad trained intensely on Sunday, with hip-hop setting the tone on a hot afternoon. Monday and Wednesday are vital for England’s preparations, conducted in evening conditions.

Mark Wood’s absence with a sore knee opens up a spot in the team, with Jacks practicing among the batsmen suggests he might be the frontrunner. The all-rounder’s off-spin are decent, and additional scoring at number eight could balance any bowling leaks.

However, Josh Tongue was with the reserves in Canberra and remains an option should England choose pace-heavy bowling, while off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was in the squad last week. Much to think about, indeed, at a venue where the visitors haven’t won a Test in over 40 years.

“It is a chance to create history,” Root said on this fact. “It would make it all the sweeter if we succeed at this ground.”