It's not often that an English cricketer is accused of complaining down under, yet when the former captain faced questions about the necessity of day-night Tests in a series like the Ashes, he gave an honest answer.
“I personally don’t think so,” Root replied prior to England's net session at the Gabba. “It’s obviously very successful and popular here in Australia, and the hosts have an impressive record with the pink ball. You can understand why one match is scheduled.
“Ultimately, we are aware well in advance it will happen. It's a requirement of being ready for the series. For a series like this, is it essential? I don’t think so … but that doesn’t mean it has no place. I don’t mind it. I don’t think it’s as good as traditional Test cricket. But it's on the calendar. We have to participate, and we just need to be better than Australia at it.”
Similar to his opposite number, Steve Smith, Root's usually stellar numbers take a hit with the pink ball. The England star has featured in each of the seven England's pink-ball matches to date, and despite a hundred in his debut outing versus the Windies in 2017, his overall average above 50 falls to just over 38 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 in day-night Tests. During his most recent pink-ball appearance, against West Indies, he claimed six wickets for nine runs as West Indies were bowled out for a meager 27—career-best figures that were soon surpassed by taking seven for 58 in the next Test.
The head-to-head of Root and Starc is shaping up to be a potential key contests in the Ashes. Although Cummins and Hazlewood usually caused him issues, in their absence in the first Test, it was Starc who dismissed him for zero and eight.
Root has reflected the initial wicket was just a good ball—the kind that may not reach the slips in England. His next dismissal, when he chopped on, during England’s the team's slump, was an error by him. “I am confident in my ability,” he said. “I know I’m going to return to form.”
Starc now uses the wobble seam as his preferred weapon nowadays—he noted he should have listened to Hazlewood and Cummins advice sooner—and in muggy conditions, swing could come into play. England, down one match, face additional obstacles this week, and contributions by their premier batter would help in recovering from their own mistakes.
It might not need a hundred should there be rapid shootout unfolds, yet Root's absence of a ton in Australia continues to haunt him. “I didn’t have long enough to dwell on it,” was his humble reply on being questioned whether that record bothered him during the first Test.
The England squad practiced hard on Sunday, to the sound of 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 due to a knee issue has created an opening in the lineup, and Will Jacks practicing among the batsmen suggests he might be the frontrunner. The all-rounder’s off-spin are adequate, and extra runs at number eight might offset any conceded runs.
However, seamer Tongue has been with the Lions in Canberra and is still in the mix if England opt for pace-heavy bowling, while off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was included previously. Much to think about, then, at a venue where the visitors have not won a Test for decades.
“It is a chance to make history,” Root said regarding this. “It would make it all the sweeter if we succeed at this ground.”
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