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It's not often 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 gave an honest answer.

“My personal view is no,” Root responded before England's net session in Brisbane. “Clearly highly popular and popular in this country, and Australia boast a strong record with the pink ball. You can understand why one match is scheduled.

“In the end, you know well in advance that it’s scheduled. It's a requirement of preparing for the series. In a contest of this magnitude, does it need it? Probably not … but that doesn’t mean it has no place. I'm fine with it. I don’t think it matches traditional Test cricket. But it's on the calendar. We have to participate, and must ensure to be better than Australia in these conditions.”

Root's Performance Under Lights Suffers

Like his counterpart, Australia's Steve Smith, Root's usually stellar stats take a hit with the pink ball. The England star has featured in all seven England's pink-ball matches to date, and although a century in his debut such match versus the Windies in 2017, his overall average above 50 falls to just over 38 under lights.

Conversely, bowler Mitchell Starc averages 28.97 with a strike-rate of 49.9 overall, yet these figures shift to 17 and 33 correspondingly with the pink ball. In his last pink-ball appearance, in Jamaica, he took six wickets for nine runs as the opposition were dismissed for 27—career-best figures that were soon surpassed by taking seven for 58 in Perth.

Deciding Duel Root vs Starc May Determine Outcome

The head-to-head between Root and Starc is emerging as a potential deciding factors in this series. While Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood usually caused him issues, with them missing last week, the veteran Starc who dismissed him for a duck and eight.

Root later reasoned the initial wicket was just a good ball—the kind that may not reach the slips in England. The second, when he chopped on, amid second-day collapse, was an error on his part. “I am confident in my ability,” he stated. “I believe I will return to form.”

England's Challenges and Preparations

Starc now uses the wobble seam as his main tactic these days—he admitted he wished he'd heeded his teammates' advice sooner—and in muggy conditions, swing may also be available. England, trailing 1-0, have more to overcome this week, 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, yet Root's absence of a century on Australian soil remains a talking point. “I didn’t have long enough to think about it,” was his humble reply on being questioned if the stat bothered him in Perth.

Team Selection and Historic Opportunity

Root and his teammates practiced hard over the weekend, to the sound of hip-hop setting the tone on a hot afternoon. Monday and Wednesday are crucial for England’s preparations, conducted in evening conditions.

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 in contention. His off-breaks are adequate, and extra runs at number eight might offset any bowling leaks.

That said, seamer Tongue has been with the Lions in Canberra and is still in the mix should England choose pace-heavy bowling, while off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was included previously. Plenty to consider, then, at a venue where England have not won a Test in over 40 years.

“It is a chance to create history,” Root said on this fact. “It would be all the sweeter if we succeed at this ground.”