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It's not often that an English cricketer is accused of whinging in Australia, but when Joe Root was questioned regarding the need of day-night Tests during the Ashes, he offered an honest answer.

“From my perspective, it's not necessary,” Root stated prior to England's net session at the Gabba. “Clearly very successful and well-received in this country, and Australia boast a strong track record in these matches. You can understand why one match is scheduled.

“In the end, we are aware from two years out it will happen. It's a requirement of preparing for such contests. 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. I don’t think it matches traditional Test cricket. But it's on the calendar. We have to participate, and we just need to be better our opponents 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 Yorkshire batsman has featured in each of the seven of England’s floodlit Tests so far, and despite a hundred in his debut outing versus the Windies back in 2017, his career average above 50 falls to just over 38 under lights.

Conversely, bowler Mitchell Starc averages 28.97 and a strike rate of 49.9 in general, but those numbers shift to 17.08 and 33.3 correspondingly in day-night Tests. In his last floodlit game, against West Indies, he claimed six wickets for nine runs as the opposition were dismissed for a meager 27—career-best figures that he bettered with seven wickets for 58 in Perth.

Key Battle Root vs Starc Could Shape Series

The matchup of Root and Starc is shaping up to be a potential deciding factors in this series. While Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have traditionally caused him issues, with them missing in the first Test, the veteran Starc who got him out for scores of zero and eight.

Root has reflected that the first dismissal was just a good ball—the kind that might not carry to slip back home. His next dismissal, bowled chopping on, during England’s second-day collapse, was a miscalculation on his part. “I know I’m a good player,” he said. “I believe I will score runs again.”

England's Challenges and Readiness

Starc has adopted the wobble-seam as his main tactic these days—he admitted he should have listened to Hazlewood and Cummins advice sooner—and in humid Brisbane, swing could come into play. England, down one match, face additional obstacles in this Test, and runs from their premier batter would help them recover from their own mistakes.

It might not need a century if another rapid shootout unfolds, but Root’s lack of a ton in Australia 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 during the first Test.

Team Selection and Chance for History

The England squad practiced hard on Sunday, to the sound of hip-hop setting the tone in the heat. The key sessions are vital for their readiness, conducted in evening conditions.

Wood being unavailable due to a knee issue has created an opening in the team, with 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.

That said, seamer Tongue was with the reserves elsewhere and remains an option if England opt for an all-pace attack, while off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was in the squad previously. Plenty to consider, then, at a ground where England haven’t won a Test for decades.

“It is a chance to make history,” Root commented on this fact. “It would make it even more satisfying if we win here.”