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It's not often that an English cricketer is accused of complaining down under, yet when Joe Root faced questions about the necessity of day-night Tests in a series like the Ashes, he offered a straightforward response.

“My personal view is no,” Root stated prior to England's net session at the Gabba. “It’s obviously very successful and well-received here in Australia, and Australia boast a strong record in these matches. It's understandable why we’re playing.

“Ultimately, you know well in advance it will happen. It's a requirement of preparing for such contests. In a contest of this magnitude, does it need it? I don’t think so … 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 in the schedule. We’ve got to play it, and must ensure to be better than Australia at it.”

Joe Root's Performance in Day-Night Tests Takes a Dip

Similar to his opposite number, Australia's Steve Smith, Root’s typically strong numbers take a hit in day-night games. The England star has played all seven of England’s floodlit Tests so far, and despite a hundred in his first such match against West Indies in 2017, his overall average above 50 drops to just over 38 in these games.

On the other hand, bowler Mitchell Starc averages 28.97 with a strike-rate of 49.9 in general, yet these figures improve to 17 and 33 respectively with the pink ball. In his last pink-ball appearance, in Jamaica, he took six wickets for nine runs as West Indies were dismissed for 27—career-best figures that he bettered with seven for 58 in Perth.

Deciding Duel Root vs Starc Could Shape Series

The head-to-head of Root and Starc is emerging as a potential deciding factors in the Ashes. While Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood usually troubled him more, with them missing in the first Test, 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 to slip in England. The second, bowled chopping on, amid the team's slump, was a miscalculation on his part. “I know I’m a good player,” he stated. “I know I’m going to score runs again.”

England's Challenges and Readiness

Starc now uses the wobble seam as his preferred weapon these days—he admitted he wished he'd heeded his teammates' advice sooner—and in muggy conditions, swing may also be available. England, down one match, face additional obstacles in this Test, and contributions by their premier batter could aid in recovering from their own mistakes.

It might not need a hundred should there be quick-fire match unfolds, yet Root's absence of a ton on Australian soil continues to haunt him. “I didn’t have long enough to dwell on it,” was his humble reply when asked 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 their readiness, conducted in evening conditions.

Wood being unavailable with a sore knee has created an opening in the lineup, and Will Jacks practicing among the batsmen hints he could be the frontrunner. His off-breaks are adequate, and additional scoring down the order could balance 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 previously. Plenty to consider, indeed, at a ground where England have not won a match in over 40 years.

“It's an opportunity to make history,” Root said on this fact. “It would be all the sweeter if we succeed here.”