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Rarely for an England player gets labeled as complaining down under, yet when the former captain was questioned regarding the need for pink-ball cricket during the Ashes, he offered a straightforward answer.

“From my perspective, it's not necessary,” Root stated before England's net session at the Gabba. “Clearly highly popular and well-received here in Australia, and the hosts have an impressive track record with the pink ball. You can understand why one match is scheduled.

“Ultimately, you know from two years out that it’s scheduled. It’s part of preparing for the series. In a contest of this magnitude, is it essential? Probably not … 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’ve got to play it, and we just need to be better our opponents at it.”

Joe Root's Record Under Lights Declines

Like his counterpart, Australia's Steve Smith, Root's usually stellar numbers see a drop in day-night games. The England star has featured in each of the seven of England’s floodlit Tests to date, and although a century in his first such match versus the Windies back in 2017, his career average of 50.9 drops to just over 38 in these games.

Conversely, bowler Mitchell Starc averages 28.97 and a strike rate around 50 in general, but those numbers improve to 17.08 and 33.3 correspondingly in day-night Tests. In his last pink-ball appearance, against West Indies, he took six wickets for nine runs as West Indies were dismissed for a meager 27—his best performance that he bettered with seven for 58 in Perth.

Key Battle Root vs Starc May Determine Outcome

The matchup of Root and Starc is shaping up to be one of the deciding factors in this series. While Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have traditionally caused him issues, in their absence last week, the veteran Starc who dismissed him for zero and eight.

Root has reflected that the first dismissal came from a fine delivery—the type that may not reach to slip back home. The second, when he chopped on, during England’s the team's slump, was a miscalculation by him. “I am confident in my ability,” he stated. “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 admitted he wished he'd heeded to Hazlewood and Cummins advice sooner—and in muggy conditions, swing could come into play. England, down one match, have more to overcome this week, and contributions by their premier batter could aid in recovering from a self-inflicted hole.

This may not require a hundred should there be quick-fire match occurs, but Root’s lack of a ton on Australian soil continues to haunt him. “I didn’t have long enough to dwell on it,” he modestly answered when asked whether that record bothered him in Perth.

Team Selection and Chance for History

Root and his teammates trained intensely on Sunday, with hip-hop setting the tone in the heat. Monday and Wednesday are vital for England’s preparations, conducted in evening conditions.

Wood being unavailable 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-breaks are adequate, and additional scoring at number eight could balance any bowling leaks.

However, Josh Tongue was with the reserves elsewhere and is still in the mix if England opt for pace-heavy bowling, while off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was included previously. Plenty to consider, then, at a venue where the visitors have not won a match in over 40 years.

“It's an opportunity to make history,” Root commented on this fact. “It would make it all the sweeter if we win here.”