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Rarely for an England player gets labeled as whinging in Australia, but when Joe Root was questioned regarding the need for pink-ball cricket during the Ashes, he offered a straightforward response.

“From my perspective, it's not necessary,” Root responded before England's practice at the Gabba. “It’s obviously highly popular and well-received in this country, and Australia have an impressive record in these matches. It's understandable why we’re playing.

“Ultimately, we are aware well in advance it will happen. It's a requirement of preparing for the series. For a series like this, does it need it? I don’t think so … but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be included. I don’t mind it. I don’t think it matches the conventional format. But it's on the calendar. We have to participate, and we just need to be better our opponents at it.”

Joe Root's Record in Day-Night Tests Suffers

Like his counterpart, Steve Smith, Root’s typically strong stats take a hit in day-night games. The England star has played all seven England's floodlit Tests to date, and despite a hundred in his first such match versus the Windies back in 2017, his overall average of 50.9 falls to 38.5 in these games.

Conversely, paceman Mitchell Starc holds an average near 29 with a strike-rate of 49.9 in general, but those numbers shift to 17 and 33 respectively with the pink ball. In his last floodlit game, against West Indies, he claimed six wickets for nine runs as the opposition were dismissed for 27—career-best figures that were soon surpassed with seven for 58 in Perth.

Deciding Duel Root vs Starc Could Shape Series

The matchup between Root and Starc is emerging as a potential deciding factors in this series. Although Cummins and Hazlewood usually troubled him more, with them missing in the first Test, the veteran Starc who got him out for scores of zero and eight.

Root has reflected the initial wicket came from a fine delivery—the type that may not reach the slips back home. The second, bowled chopping 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 score runs again.”

The Touring Side's Hurdles and Preparations

Starc has adopted the wobble-seam as his preferred weapon nowadays—he admitted he should have listened his teammates' advice sooner—and in muggy conditions, swing could be available. England, down one match, face additional obstacles in this Test, and runs from their top batsman could aid in recovering from a self-inflicted hole.

This may not require a hundred should there be quick-fire match occurs, yet Root's absence of a century in Australia remains a talking point. “I didn't get time to dwell on it,” he modestly answered when asked whether that record weighed on 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. 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 additional scoring down the order might offset any conceded runs.

However, Josh Tongue was with the reserves in Canberra and remains an option if England opt for pace-heavy bowling, while off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was in the squad last week. Plenty to consider, then, at a venue where England haven’t won a Test for decades.

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