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It's not often that an English cricketer gets labeled as whinging in Australia, but when Joe Root was questioned about the necessity for pink-ball cricket during the Ashes, he gave an honest response.

“My personal view is no,” Root replied prior to England's practice in Brisbane. “It’s obviously very successful and popular here in Australia, and the hosts boast a strong track record with the pink ball. You can understand why one match is scheduled.

“In the end, we are aware well in advance it will happen. It’s part of preparing for such contests. For a series like this, is it essential? Probably not … yet it doesn't imply it shouldn’t be included. I don’t mind it. I don’t think it’s as good as traditional Test cricket. But it's on the calendar. We’ve got to play it, and we just need to be better our opponents in these conditions.”

Root's Performance in Day-Night Tests Suffers

Similar to his opposite number, Australia's Steve Smith, Root’s typically strong stats take a hit in day-night games. The Yorkshire batsman has featured in all seven England's pink-ball matches to date, and despite a century in his first outing versus the Windies in 2017, his overall average of 50.9 falls to just over 38 in these games.

Conversely, bowler Mitchell Starc averages 28.97 and a strike rate around 50 in general, yet these figures improve to 17 and 33 correspondingly in day-night Tests. During his most recent floodlit game, against West Indies, he took six wickets for nine runs as the opposition were dismissed for 27—his best performance that were soon surpassed by taking seven wickets for 58 in Perth.

Deciding Duel Between Root and Starc Could Shape Series

The matchup of Root and Starc is emerging as one of the key contests in this series. Although Cummins and Hazlewood have traditionally troubled him more, in their absence in the first Test, the veteran Starc who got him out for a duck and eight.

Root later reasoned the initial wicket was just a good ball—the type that might not carry to slip back home. The second, when he chopped on, during England’s second-day collapse, was an error by him. “I am confident in my ability,” he said. “I know I’m going to score runs again.”

England's Challenges and Readiness

Starc has adopted the wobble seam as his preferred weapon nowadays—he noted he should have listened his teammates' suggestions earlier—and in muggy conditions, swing may also be available. England, trailing 1-0, have more to overcome in this Test, and runs from their top batsman would help in recovering from a self-inflicted hole.

It might not need a century if another quick-fire match unfolds, yet Root's absence of a ton on Australian soil continues to haunt him. “I didn't get time to think about it,” he modestly answered on being questioned whether that record weighed on him in Perth.

Team Selection and Chance for History

The England squad practiced hard over the weekend, to the sound of hip-hop providing the backdrop on a hot afternoon. Monday and Wednesday are vital for England’s preparations, held under lights.

Mark Wood’s absence due to a knee issue opens up a spot in the team, with Jacks practicing among the batsmen suggests he might be the frontrunner. The all-rounder’s off-breaks are adequate, and additional scoring down the order might offset any bowling leaks.

That said, 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 match for decades.

“It is a chance to create history,” Root commented on this fact. “It would be all the sweeter if we win here.”