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Rarely that an English cricketer is accused of complaining down under, yet when the former captain faced questions regarding the need for pink-ball cricket in a series like the Ashes, he offered a straightforward answer.

“My personal view is no,” Root stated before England's practice at the Gabba. “It’s obviously highly popular and popular here in Australia, and the hosts have an impressive record with the pink ball. You can understand why we’re playing.

“In the end, you know well in advance it will happen. It’s part of being ready for the series. In a contest of this magnitude, is it essential? I don’t think so … yet it doesn't imply it has no place. 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 must ensure to be better than Australia at it.”

Joe Root's Performance Under Lights Suffers

Similar to his opposite number, Steve Smith, Root’s typically strong stats take a hit in day-night games. The England star has played each of the seven England's floodlit Tests to date, and although a hundred in his first outing versus the Windies in 2017, his career average of 50.9 drops to just over 38 in these games.

Conversely, bowler Mitchell Starc holds an average near 29 with a strike-rate around 50 overall, yet these figures 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 27—his best performance that he bettered by taking seven for 58 in the next Test.

Key Battle Root vs Starc Could Shape Series

The matchup between 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 last week, the veteran Starc who dismissed him for scores of a duck and eight.

Root has reflected that the first dismissal 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 second-day collapse, was an error by him. “I know I’m a good player,” he said. “I believe I will return to form.”

England's Challenges and Readiness

Starc now uses the wobble-seam as his preferred weapon these days—he noted he should have listened his teammates' advice sooner—and in muggy conditions, swing may also come into play. England, down one match, have more to overcome this week, and contributions by their top batsman would help in recovering from their own mistakes.

It might not need a hundred should there be rapid shootout unfolds, but Root’s lack of a century in Australia remains a talking point. “I didn't get time to think about it,” he modestly answered on being questioned if the stat weighed on him in Perth.

Team Selection and Chance for History

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

Wood being unavailable due to a knee issue has created an opening in the team, and Will Jacks practicing among the batsmen hints he could be in contention. The all-rounder’s off-breaks are decent, and extra runs down the order could balance any conceded runs.

That said, Josh Tongue was with the reserves elsewhere and remains an option should England choose pace-heavy bowling, and spinner Bashir was included last week. Plenty to consider, then, at a ground where the visitors haven’t won a match for decades.

“It is a chance to make history,” Root commented regarding this. “It would be all the sweeter if we win at this ground.”